Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Wednesday that it thwarted a Ukrainian plot to assassinate a Russian-installed official in occupied Ukraine.
A resident of eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region who holds a Russian passport was allegedly recruited by Ukrainian military intelligence officials to carry out sabotage operations, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing an FSB video.
The man was arrested while retrieving an explosive device that he was planning to use in an assassination plot against a member of the Moscow-backed legislative assembly in Luhansk, according to the TASS news agency.
In an FSB video published by state media, the man could be seen being arrested outdoors in the snow. He reportedly told authorities that he had received weapons training after being recruited.
It was unclear whether his statements were made under duress, as the video appeared to show his interrogation immediately following his arrest.
The man was charged with state treason, undergoing terrorist training, planning a terrorist act and the unlawful storage of explosives.
Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian law enforcement authorities have regularly announced the arrests of individuals they accuse of planning sabotage attacks and assassinations of government officials, though details of these cases are rarely made public.
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