Ukrainian national charged over assassination plot in Russia
A Ukrainian national accused of plotting the assassination of a Russian military veteran has been detained, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday.
The man, a resident of Novgorod Region in northwestern Russia, has been charged with attempted terrorist activity and illegal possession of explosives, according to an FSB statement. Investigators are reportedly gathering further evidence to pursue additional charges of sabotage and collaboration with a hostile power.
The suspect, who is in his late 20s, told the authorities that he first contacted Ukrainian intelligence officials in October 2023, according to footage released by the agency. He is accused of carrying out arson attacks on two privately owned vehicles belonging to individuals he believed were Russian military personnel in September and December 2024.
In January, he was allegedly instructed to surveil and assassinate a specific individual using an improvised explosive device. The intended target was described by the FSB as a military veteran and public figure.
The authorities claim that the suspect retrieved bomb components from a hidden cache shortly before being taken into custody. The video published by the FSB appears to show explosives, a fuse, and other elements associated with the assembly of improvised bombs.
The arrest follows another reported counterterrorism operation revealed this week. On Tuesday, the FSB said it had foiled a separate Ukrainian-planned attack in southern Krasnodar Region, in which the suspect allegedly aimed to detonate a 2.5kg homemade explosive at an energy company.
Earlier this year, a Russian court sentenced a man who attempted to poison military cadets by delivering a cake laced with toxins to a graduation celebration. The convict was born in Ukraine and moved to Russia in 2018, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen.
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