The security agency has apprehended a Russian serviceman allegedly recruited by Kiev’s intelligence services to stage an attack
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a Ukrainian bomb plot targeting military cadets, the agency announced on Friday. A Russian serviceman recruited by Ukrainian intelligence was detained when he attempted to collect explosives for the planned attack, the agency said.
The FSB released footage of the arrest at an undisclosed location in Moscow Region, showing heavily armed agents pursuing the suspect in a remote area. The contents of the dead drop appeared to contain multiple pieces of plastic explosives, according to the video.
“A serviceman with the Russian Defense Ministry, recruited by the Ukrainian special services, who was involved in the preparation of a terrorist act in a dormitory where cadets of military universities live, was detained when he recovered components of an explosive device from a cache,” the FSB said in a statement.
The suspect has reportedly admitted his guilt, confirming he was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the attack. The FSB said it had recovered the suspect’s correspondence with his Ukrainian handler detailing the bomb plot.
The serviceman faces criminal charges for preparing a terrorist attack and illegal possession of explosives. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to 20 years.
Last month, the FSB reported that it had foiled a Ukrainian letter bomb plot, recovering multiple parcels containing improvised explosive devices camouflaged as perfume gifts. The bombs were rigged to detonate upon receipt, according to the agency.
At the time, the FSB said it detained a Russian citizen believed to have mailed the explosive perfume sets to Russian servicemen and government employees on the orders of his Ukrainian handlers.
