DPR resident plotted to assassinate def. official with UK poison: FSB
4 Min Read
Russia’s FSB says it detained a DPR resident plotting a chemical assassination of a senior defense officer on Kiev’s orders.
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A Russian intelligence agency FSB officer, right, prepares to escort detained Ukrainians into a courtroom in Simferopol, Crimea, on November 27, 2018 (AP)
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it detained a resident of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) accused of plotting to assassinate a senior officer of the Russian Defense Ministry on instructions from Ukrainian military intelligence.
According to the FSB, the suspect had prepared to carry out a terror attack using a chemical agent to poison the unnamed high-ranking official. The plan allegedly involved delivering gift bottles of British beer laced with a lethal toxin mixture.
"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has detained a DPR resident involved in plotting a terrorist attack using chemical warfare agents against a high-ranking Russian Defense Ministry officer," the agency said in its statement.
The FSB said that Kiev’s military intelligence services orchestrated the operation, which offered the suspect $5,000 to execute the attack.
"It was agreed that I would be given a $5,000 reward for passing the delivery," the detained attacker recounted.
Recruited through Telegram
According to the suspect's statements, an unknown Ukrainian intelligence agent contacted him on Telegram to recruit him.
"I was offered a reward and instructed to pick up parcels at the provided coordinates. It was in a field," he said.
"As I approached the designated spot, a quadcopter flew by and dropped two tubes from a low altitude," the detainee explained.
Before delivering the "gift", the man was instructed to leave his smartphone at home and carefully place the poisoned beer into a package while wearing gloves.
Agonizing death within 20 minutes
Laboratory tests on the confiscated beer bottles reportedly revealed the presence of colchicine and tert-butyl bicyclophosphate (TBPO), the latter described as an analogue of the banned nerve agent VX. Both substances, according to the FSB, were produced in the United Kingdom, an allegation consistent with Moscow’s broader accusations of Western involvement in Ukrainian operations.
Combining TBPO, described as a "cage convulsant", and colchicine would likely result in an unpredictable and potentially fatal combination of severe neurological seizures from TBPO and systemic toxicities, organ failure, and muscle damage from colchicine.
“These chemicals, when consumed, cause agonizing death within 20 minutes,” the statement said.
No further details were released about the suspect’s identity, how the assassination was to be carried out, or at what stage the plot was intercepted.
Russian authorities say they have opened a criminal case on charges related to terrorism and the use of prohibited chemical agents.
Read more: Russia accuses UK, Ukraine of sabotage plot against TurkStream
65 Ukrainian drones destroyed overnight
In a separate development, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 65 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight across multiple regions.
According to the Ministry, the drones were shot down over:
- Voronezh Region - 18
- Ryazan Region - 16
- Belgorod Region - 14
- Tula Region - 7
- Bryansk Region - 4
- Lipetsk Region - 3
- Tambov Region - 2
- Republic of Crimea - 1
These developments come as the United States administration led by US President Donald Trump has been secretly working with Russia on a new draft plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to a report by Axios.
Citing anonymous US and Russian officials, Axios reported that a 28-point plan for Ukraine draws directly from the 20-point plan framework used to secure the Gaza ceasefire.
The draft is structured around four main themes: peace in Ukraine, security guarantees, broader European security, and the future of US relations with both Kiev and Moscow, Axios reported, while details on how the proposal would handle key disputes, including control of territory in eastern Ukraine, remain unclear.
Read more: Germany says was not briefed on reported US peace plan for Ukraine
