Russia arrests four over alleged plot to kill military officers

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday that it had detained several suspects allegedly involved in a Ukrainian plan to assassinate senior Russian military officers. 

The arrests come just days after the killing of a high-ranking Russian general in a brazen attack claimed by Ukraine.

The FSB, the main successor to the KGB (the Committee for State Security), stated through Russian news agencies that four Russian nationals had been arrested for allegedly preparing to kill Defence Ministry officials. 

According to the FSB, one planned assassination involved a remotely controlled car bomb, while another senior officer was reportedly targeted with an explosive device concealed in an envelope.

The agency did not disclose the names of the intended targets.

A video released by the FSB shows the suspects being arrested and interrogated, but their identities remain undisclosed.

This announcement follows the 17 December death of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment building.

Kirillov’s assistant also died in the attack. The incident, claimed by Ukraine, marked a stark escalation of the conflict, bringing the war to the streets of Moscow.

The FSB reported that it had arrested a suspect in Kirillov’s killing, identifying him as a citizen of Uzbekistan. The agency claimed the suspect confessed to being recruited by Ukrainian special services.

Kirillov, 54, served as the head of Russia’s Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, tasked with safeguarding the military from nuclear, chemical, and biological threats.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kirillov’s assassination as a “major blunder” by the nation’s security agencies, urging them to learn from the incident and enhance their capabilities.