MOSCOW (Sputnik) – On Thursday, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it had thwarted a series of assassination plots, orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence, targeting high-ranking Russian defense officials involved in the military operation in Ukraine, as well as their family members.
Additionally, a Moscow resident recruited by the Ukrainian special services to gather intelligence on the targets has been identified, the security service said.
«An explosive device, disguised as a charging device (power bank) with magnets attached to it, was to be planted under the service vehicle of a high-ranking executive in the Russian Defense Ministry, driven by the executive’s close relative,» the FSB said, adding that the explosion itself was planned to be set off remotely from Ukraine.
A terrorist attack against another service member was plotted by Ukraine, involving two Russian citizens tasked with delivering a homemade explosive device disguised as a document folder. The device that was to be delivered, was hidden in a cache located in the Moscow Region, with its coordinates supplied by a Ukrainian citizen residing in Poland.
«Based on the facts gathered by the Federal Security Service, criminal cases have been opened … the detainees are charged with direct involvement in illicit trafficking of explosives and explosive devices, preparation of terrorist acts, as well as committing high treason. The punishment for these offenses includes life imprisonment,» the statement read.
