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Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a Russian national over an alleged plot to carry out a terrorist attack on a senior Defense Ministry official, according to statements published by the state news agency TASS. In a separate case, another Russian citizen has been arrested on suspicion of high treason for allegedly collecting military and infrastructure information for Ukraine. The FSB says both operations were part of a broader effort to thwart what it describes as an unprecedented series of terrorist and subversive acts planned by Ukrainian intelligence agencies with Western backing.

Coverage comparison

All reporting on this story comes from TASS, which cited official FSB statements and a video confession. The agency’s coverage spans several days: one report on July 4 details the high treason case in the Krasnodar Region, while three reports dated July 9 cover the Moscow plot and the broader FSB operation. The accounts are consistent in attributing the alleged conspiracies to Ukrainian intelligence, but they vary in scope—one focuses on a single detainee, another on a female accomplice, and a third on the overall prevention of what the FSB calls a “large-scale series of attacks.”

Key claims

  • The FSB says it detained a 48-year-old Russian national in Krasnodar who was recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to carry out a terrorist attack on a senior Defense Ministry official. The plot allegedly involved using a drone carrying an explosive device with shrapnel near the official’s apartment building in the Moscow Region.
  • According to the FSB, the suspect rented an apartment in Moscow and installed two cameras for remote video surveillance of the target’s residence. He also purchased means of disguise, including a fake moustache, beard, and glasses.
  • The FSB claims it seized an improvised explosive device filled with 600 grams of explosives, a phone containing correspondence with the suspect’s handler, and the cameras and disguise items.
  • The agency said the intended perpetrator had been convicted of theft and robbery in Russia in 2002. After serving his sentence, he left for Ukraine and settled in Dnepropetrovsk. In February 2026, his wife faced the threat of criminal prosecution, and the man was recruited, the FSB said. He received training in explosives and weapons before arriving in Russia via Chisinau and Yerevan.
  • A video released by the FSB shows the man saying he was recruited in February 2026 and that his case officer told him the target could only be eliminated using a jam-resistant drone. He said he was supposed to return to Ukraine for additional training with foreign specialists before being detained in Krasnodar while receiving an explosive charge.
  • The FSB also said a female Russian citizen born in 2001 was detained as an accomplice. According to the agency, she rented an apartment in Moscow in March 2026, installed CCTV cameras to monitor the service member’s home and vehicle, and sent the footage to Ukraine. She allegedly stored disguise items and food for the intended perpetrator before leaving Russia for Ukraine via Turkey and Moldova. Investigators seized surveillance equipment, masking items, and smartphones.
  • In the high treason case, a 46-year-old resident of Anapa was detained for allegedly collecting information on the location of Defense Ministry units and energy infrastructure facilities in the Krasnodar Region. The FSB says he also recorded radio signal levels in areas of interest, which could be used for planning missile and air strikes. The agency says one task involved obtaining information about arrival schedules and security arrangements at restricted sites in Sochi.
  • The regional FSB investigative department opened a criminal case under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (high treason) against the Anapa resident, who has been placed in custody.
  • The FSB stated that Ukrainian intelligence agencies, backed by Western sponsors, planned an “unprecedentedly large-scale” series of terrorist and subversive attacks on military facilities, a defense industry site, and Defense Ministry service members. The agency said the plan was thwarted through operational, investigative, counterintelligence, and reconnaissance activities.

Perspectives

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB): The FSB presents the detentions as a success in preventing terrorist attacks orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence, with Western support. It frames the suspects as enemy agents or traitors and emphasizes that all such cooperation with foreign intelligence will be prosecuted.

The detainee (as shown in FSB video): The detained man acknowledges recruitment by Ukrainian security services and describes his planned attack, including training with foreign specialists, but his statements are made in an FSB-controlled context, so their voluntariness cannot be independently assessed.

No perspective from Ukrainian authorities or Western officials is included because none appears in the provided material.