Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims to have foiled a plot by Ukraine to kill a high-ranking Russian officer and a pro-Russian war blogger. The FSB says that a Russian citizen had established contact with an officer from Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency through the Telegram messaging application. The Russian citizen was instructed to retrieve a bomb, equivalent to 1 1/2 kg of TNT and packed with ball bearings, from a hiding place in Moscow. The bomb was concealed in a portable music speaker.
According to the FSB, the plot is part of a wider pattern of violence and assassination attempts between Russia and Ukraine, which has been ongoing since Russia’s war against Ukraine began. Ukraine has accused Russia of promoting the use of banned chemical weapons, while Russia has denied these allegations.
In recent months, there have been several high-profile attacks and assassinations, including the killing of Lieutenant General Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, in Moscow. Ukraine acknowledged carrying out the killing, which they claimed was justified due to Kirillov’s alleged involvement in promoting banned chemical weapons.
The United States has expressed concerns over the situation, with Donald Trump’s designated Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, stating that such killings were “not really smart” and went “a little bit too far.” Russia has vowed to take revenge for the killing of Kirillov, highlighting the escalating tensions between the two nations.
