Russia Claims to Stop Ukrainian Assassination Plots

On Thursday, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) revealed that they had thwarted several assassination attempts by Ukrainian intelligence on high-ranking Russian military officers. The FSB stated that the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) was behind these plots, aiming to kill these officers and their families in Moscow. The bombs were cleverly disguised as everyday items like power banks or document folders. In December, a similar bomb attack in Moscow killed Lieutenant General Kirillov, the chief of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops. This incident was also linked to the SBU by a source. Russia condemned this as a terrorist act and vowed retaliation.The FSB mentioned that four Russian citizens, recruited by the SBU, were arrested in connection with these planned attacks. One suspect was meant to plant a bomb disguised as a portable charger on a top defense official's car. Another was tasked with reconnaissance, including a plot involving a bomb disguised as a document folder. The exact dates of these planned attacks are unclear, but one suspect reported retrieving a bomb on December 23. Russian state TV aired footage of some suspects admitting to being recruited by Ukrainian intelligence for these bombings. Russia believes Ukraine is responsible for several high-profile assassinations on its soil, aiming to weaken morale. They also accuse the West of supporting a "terrorist regime" in Kyiv. Ukraine, on the other hand, sees these targeted killings as a legitimate response to Russia's war, which they consider an existential threat.