Russian law enforcement has arrested two people allegedly involved in the Ukrainian-masterminded assassination of a naval officer, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Tuesday.
Captain 1st rank Valery Trankovsky, who served as deputy commander of the Azov branch of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, was killed by a bomb in the city of Sevastopol last week. Located on the Crimean Peninsula, the city is the home base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. According to the FSB, Trankovsky was heading to work when a bomb planted under his vehicle was remotely detonated.
The woman’s role was to track Trankovsky’s car, which allowed her accomplice to set up the trap, according to excerpts from her FSB interview. The suspected bomber cooperated with the investigators, revealing details of the plot, including the location of the remote trigger and the phone used to communicate with his handler, according to the same video.
The agency identified Ukrainian Colonel Yury Murilyov as the alleged mastermind behind the assassination. Murilyov is a senior leader in the counterintelligence department of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), and works directly under Deputy Head Gen. Maj. Aleksandr Poklad, according to the statement.
Additionally, the FSB reported discovering another improvised explosive device in the male suspect’s garage. Investigators also found an empty fire extinguisher casing, which they believe was to be part of the bomb.
Ukraine has a state-backed assassination program, launched by its secret services after the 2014 armed coup in Kiev to target individuals deemed enemies by the government, according to Western media reports.