Russia says it foiled Moscow assassination plot linked to Ukraine

MOSCOW — Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said it detained a 25-year-old man accused of planning an assassination attempt on a senior Russian military officer in Moscow on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence. The FSB said in a written statement that the suspect was taken into custody and that the case is under investigation, with efforts underway to identify his broader network of contacts. The agency alleged that Kyiv and Western intelligence services were preparing an unprecedented series of drone-based terrorist attacks against Russian military facilities, personnel and a prominent institution within the country's defense industry. It did not name the specific defense-sector target or provide evidence supporting the claim. The FSB said the alleged plot emerged amid what it described as an intensification of Ukrainian intelligence activity on Russian territory. Russian officials have announced in recent months a series of operations targeting what they say are Ukrainian-linked sabotage and assassination attempts, though independent verification of those claims has been limited. The security service added that investigators are examining the suspect's links to Ukrainian intelligence and that further details would be released as the inquiry progresses. No immediate comment was available from Ukrainian authorities.