A man who was preparing to assassinate the governor of Crimea has been arrested in the Russian region, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Monday. He had been recruited by Kiev and received training in handling explosives in Ukraine, the agency claimed.
The plot was thwarted when the agent, who is a Russian national in his late 30s, was gathering components for an improvised explosive device, the agency said. It released footage of the arrest, apparently showing the bomb parts and excerpts from his interview with law enforcement.
The FSB alleges that the would-be assassin was recruited by Ukraine’s SBU last December and traveled to Ukraine for training in sabotage techniques. He arrived in the Crimean capital of Simferopol last month.
The plan was to rig a car with a powerful IED, using metal fragments and incendiary components for additional lethality. The vehicle would then be parked along the route of Aksyonov’s motorcade.
The FSB regularly reports catching Ukrainian saboteurs who plan bomb attacks targeting Russian officials and infrastructure. Officials in Kiev have acknowledged launching assassination attempts on Russian public figures and have pledged to continue doing so.