Russian security service foils plot to assassinate defence ministry officer VIDEO

Russian security services say they have foiled an alleged plot to assassinate a Defence Ministry serviceman in the Moscow region and detained a foreign national accused of acting on instructions from Ukrainian intelligence.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said the suspect, a man born in 1990, had been recruited abroad and was arrested after arriving in Russia in February, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

According to the agency, he was tasked with killing a Russian serviceman and had retrieved a silenced Makarov pistol and ammunition from a cache before carrying out surveillance on the intended target’s movements and workplaces.

The FSB said the operation was directed by Ukrainian special services and that the suspect had previously fled criminal prosecution to a European Union country, where he was allegedly recruited in exchange for promises of assistance in obtaining refugee status. It added that the man has confessed to the alleged plot following his detention.

By Aghakazim Guliyev