What's New
Russia foiled an alleged Ukrainian plot to assassinate top military officers, the country's top security agency announced Thursday.
Why It Matters
The foiled attack comes after Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, 54, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment on December 17. Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack, which also took the life of Kirillov's assistant.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the killing a "major blunder" by Russia's security agencies, saying officials should learn from it and improve their efficiency.
What To Know
The new assassination plot involved explosive devices similar to Kirillov's killing, according to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
FSB Details Assassination Plot
The FSB, Moscow's primary successor to the KGB, said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies Thursday that it arrested four Russians accused of making preparations to kill senior officials with the Defense Ministry.
The four Russians were planning to kill one of the senior officers using a remotely controlled car bomb, according to the FSB. Car bombs have been a common tactic to carry out Ukrainian-planned assassinations of Russians amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The FBS said another top military official was going to be killed by an explosive device hidden in an envelope.
More On Lt. Gen. Kirillov
Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, special troops tasked with, in part, protecting the military from the enemy's use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
A citizen of Uzbekistan, a Central Asian country, was arrested by the FSB as a suspect in Kirillov's killing. The agency claimed that the suspect said that he had been recruited by Ukrainian special services.
The FSB said that the suspect picked up a homemade bomb in Moscow, placed it on the scooter and parked the scooter outside Kirillov's apartment before detonating the bomb when the Russian official left his building.
What People Are Saying
Putin called Kirillov's killing an act of "terrorism" at his end-of-the-year press conference last week.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of terrorism before, telling the U.N. Security Council in June 2022: "What is punished at the level of specific criminals and criminal organizations must not go unpunished at the level of a state that has become a terrorist."
What Happens Next
February 24, 2025, will mark the third anniversary of the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war. On that fateful day, Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Russia's eastern European neighbor.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office in a few weeks, has said he could end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day. During his end-of-the-year press conference, Putin said he was ready for talks "any time" with Trump. Meanwhile, Zelensky has already met with Trump following his election win.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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