NewsAlleged Ukrainian agent killed in Russia after plotting attacks
Alleged Ukrainian agent killed in Russia after plotting attacks
8:36 AM EDT, May 3, 2024
Russian services reportedly shot a man suspected of preparing a terrorist attack. The man allegedly resisted arrest. According to the Federal Security Service (FSB), he entered Russia from Lithuania, was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, and had plans to launch attacks, among other places, in Latvia.
Reports from Russian media and officials are questionable and may constitute part of an information warfare campaign by the Russian Federation.
An independent Russian news outlet, Meduza, citing an FSB statement, reported that special services initially attempted to detain the man near Moscow as he retrieved a weapon from a stash. However, the suspect managed to vanish.
He was later located in the Leningrad region, acquiring another cache of weapons. His alleged plan involved attacking a fuel terminal. During his arrest, the suspect reportedly resisted with arms and was subsequently shot dead, according to the FSB.
Was the attacker targeting the Russian-speaking population?
The intelligence service asserts that the suspect was trained in handling explosives and firearms in Podbrodzie, Lithuania. His communications purportedly revealed plans by "Ukrainian terrorists" to target churches and homes of the Russian-speaking community in the Baltic countries.
According to Meduza, plans also included setting a cinema on fire in Riga during a movie screening. The suspect is said to have arrived from Lithuania in March 2024.
Authorities reportedly discovered a Stechkin pistol, a hunting shotgun, grenades, bomb-making materials, documents, and a mobile phone in the suspect's car, and a Swedbank card from the Lithuanian branch in a Moscow apartment he rented.
An FSB-released video by RIA Novosti features several photos of the suspect, including one before a sign in Lithuania’s Klaipeda region. Gunshot sounds accompany video frames, followed by an inspection of the car. A piece of correspondence discussing sabotage and explosions is shown, hinting at plans to organize activities in Russia, as reported by Meduza.
