FSB Intercepts Plot Against Russian War Veteran, Arrests Alleged Ukrainian Agent

On Wednesday, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it had thwarted an assassination attempt against a Russian war veteran.

FSB officials apprehended a suspect described as a «Ukrainian agent» in Novgorod, located in the northwestern region of the country, while he was allegedly in the process of retrieving an improvised explosive device intended to detonate the veteran’s vehicle.

The agency did not disclose the identity of the veteran targeted in the assassination scheme, and they referred to the suspect solely by his birth year, 1997.

State-run news outlets released FSB footage showing uniformed officers executing a nighttime arrest and presenting items purported to be parts of an explosive device.

In the video, the accused individual, whose face was obscured, claimed to be a citizen of Ukraine and mentioned that he had made contact with Ukrainian intelligence via Telegram after October 2023.

He stated, «I was instructed to set fire to the personal vehicles of so-called Russian soldiers, which I carried out in September and December 2024.” It was unclear whether these statements were made under pressure.

According to the FSB, this individual had previously ignited two vehicles that displayed symbols of the “special military operation” and had conducted surveillance on workers within local defense entities and vital infrastructure.

In the video, he also added, «In January 2025, I was directed to locate the vehicle and residence of another soldier for his impending elimination.”

If found guilty of plotting a terrorist act and trafficking in explosives, he could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

This arrest comes on the heels of the apparent assassination of a former Russian officer, Major Zaur Gurtsiye, who was killed in a bomb attack late last month. Gurtsiye had commanded air operations during the siege of Mariupol and later served as deputy mayor of Stavropol, a city in the south.