FSB foils Ukrainian-linked terror plots targeting Russian military
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Russia’s FSB reports foiling two sabotage attempts, an IED blast in Khanty-Mansi and a poisoning scheme in Armavir.
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In this photo taken from video released by the National Antiterrorism Committee on Monday, June 24, 2024, FSB officers conduct a counter-terrorist operation in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. (AP)
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Wednesday that it had thwarted two separate terrorist plots allegedly linked to Ukrainian operatives targeting Russian military personnel. The operations involved an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and a poisoning attempt in Armavir.
According to the FSB, the suspects in both cases had direct or indirect ties to Ukrainian special services and aimed to sabotage personnel affiliated with Russia’s ongoing military operation in Ukraine.
FSB disrupts IED plot in Khanty-Mansi region
The FSB said it had foiled a planned terrorist attack in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, where agents of Ukrainian intelligence allegedly plotted to target a member of a Russian Defense Ministry volunteer battalion.
The suspects include a naturalized Russian citizen originally from Ukraine (born in 1980) and a Belarusian national (born in 1976), who were both reportedly preparing an IED when it accidentally detonated. The explosion destroyed two apartments in a residential building, injuring five people, including the perpetrators themselves.
A third individual, a Moldovan citizen (born in 1977), was also detained for allegedly transporting IED components hidden in a cordless screwdriver and an aromatic candle. The FSB claims these components were handed to him by a Ukrainian agent, identified as Pavlyuk Valentin, in Ivano-Frankivsk and smuggled through Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus into Russia in a Mercedes Sprinter minibus.
Ukrainian national sentenced for attempted poisoning of military graduates
In a separate case, the Southern District Military Court sentenced Ukrainian citizen Yehor Semenov to 27 years in a strict regime penal colony after convicting him of terrorism and high treason. The charges stemmed from an alleged attempt to poison recent graduates of the Armavir Higher Military Aviation School.
Russian prosecutors said Semenov recorded a video pledging cooperation with Ukrainian security services in February 2023 and was later instructed to execute a poisoning operation. He reportedly ordered a cake and alcoholic beverages laced with a toxic substance, which were intended to be delivered to a celebratory banquet on October 20.
Authorities allege Semenov studied the restaurant layout, noting CCTV locations and access points. However, the plan failed when the graduates grew suspicious and did not consume the delivered items. Semenov was detained the following day.
The court found him guilty under Articles 205.3(a) and 275 of the Russian Criminal Code, covering terrorism and high treason.
