IN BRIEF: FSB foils major series of terrorist attacks targeting Russian service members

MOSCOW, July 9. /TSS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has prevented an unprecedentedly large-scale series of terrorist and subversive attacks targeting military facilities and Defense Ministry service members, the agency said in a statement.

TASS has gathered the details available so far.

Unprecedented scope of attacks planned

- The FSB has stopped an attempt by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, backed by Western sponsors, to carry out subversive and terrorist attacks on military facilities, a leading defense industry site, and Defense Ministry service members. According to the agency, the planned operation was unprecedented in scale and level of threat.

- The plan for acts of sabotage and terrorism was thwarted "through a set of operational, investigative, counterintelligence, and reconnaissance activities," the FSB pointed out.

Terrorist attack prevented in Moscow

- A high-profile terrorist attack targeting a senior Defense Ministry official was prevented in Moscow, the FSB said.

- This was part of an unprecedented series of terrorist and subversive attacks planned by Ukrainian intelligence agencies against Russian military facilities and service members.

- As a result of operations conducted by law enforcement officers, a terrorist accomplice, a Russian female citizen born in 2001, was detained.

- In March 2026, she was instructed by a Ukrainian coordinator to rent an apartment in Moscow, where she installed CCTV cameras to monitor the home and vehicle of a Russian service member and send video footage to Ukraine.

- According to the FSB, she informed the coordinator of the location of the cameras installed near the service member’s residence and stored means of disguise and food in the apartment for the intended perpetrator of the terrorist attack, who was expected to arrive after she was supposed to leave Russia for Ukraine via Turkey and Moldova.

- Investigators seized surveillance equipment, means of masking, and smartphones containing the woman’s correspondence with a Ukrainian intelligence officer, the FSB said.

- According to the FSB, the woman was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence agencies via WhatsApp (owned by Meta, which is designated as extremist and banned in Russia) in 2024 to identify and collect intelligence on potential targets for terrorist attacks in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

- The handler of the detained accomplice in the planned terrorist attack in Moscow previously lived in Russia and worked for Kiev, as seen in an FSB video.

- In order to recruit the woman for terrorist activities, the Ukrainian coordinator posed as being romantically interested in her and promised to continue their relationship in Ukraine after the operation was completed.

- The female suspect pleaded guilty and is now assisting with the investigation, the FSB said.

- A criminal case has been opened under Articles 30.1 and 205.2 of the Russian Criminal Code ("Preparations for a terrorist attack"), with efforts underway to collect evidence under Article 275 ("High treason").

- The suspect has been placed in custody.