Ukraine thwarts FSB assassination plot against defense company head
The suspected assassin is a 63-year-old pensioner, tasked by the FSB with placing explosives under the driver's seat of the supposed victim's car, according to the SBU.
The National Police and Security Service (SBU) of Ukraine thwarted a plot by the Federal Security Service (FSB) to assassinate the head of a defense company in Kyiv, the SBU announced on August 26. The suspected assassin, a 63-year-old pensioner who had moved to Kyiv from Luhansk Oblast, a region largely occupied by Russia, was tasked with placing explosives under the victim's car.
The SBU and National Police discovered and neutralized the explosive device, which contained 1 kg of hexogen, roughly equivalent to 2 kg of TNT. According to the security services, the suspect received instructions from Russian handlers, purchased two mobile phones and a power bank, and assembled the bomb components from a hidden location within a few days.
He also attached the improvised explosive device to the car and placed a camouflaged mobile phone opposite the vehicle to allow his Russian handlers to monitor the situation. After planting the explosive device, the perpetrator fled to Poland, intending to escape to Russia. Polish authorities arrested him as he attempted to flee through Poland and Belarus.
The SBU investigators requested extradition to Ukraine, and he was notified in absentia of charges for attempting a terrorist act. Russia has a history of recruiting Ukrainians for intelligence gathering, coordinating attacks, and even assisting in attempted assassinations, using methods such as financial incentives, coercion, and blackmail.
Vulnerable groups, including those in occupied territories or with relatives detained as prisoners of war, may be drawn in by online "easy money" schemes or face pressure and threats.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
