Title: Russia Foils Ukrainian assassination Attempt Using Power Bank Bomb
In a compelling turn of events, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims to have thwarted an attempted assassination of high-ranking Russian officials by Ukrainian intelligence (SBU). The FSB alleges that the SBU employed a sophisticated approach, using a power bank rigged with a bomb for the deadly plot.
Reuters reports that the FSB revealed this thwarted assassination attempt on Thursday, December 26, 2024. According to the FSB, the bomb was concealed within a power bank and a document folder.
This incident follows the recent assassination of Lt. Gen. Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces. Kirillov was killed using a bomb planted on an electric scooter parked outside his residence. The SBU confirmed to Reuters that they were behind the killing, which Russia has dubbed an act of terrorism.
The FSB asserts that it has prevented a series of assassination attempts on military officials in the Security Ministry. Four Russian citizens involved in the attack have been apprehended.
In a chilling revelation, FSB announced that one suspect was arrested while trying to attach a magnetic bomb, disguised as a power bank, to a car belonging to a Defense Ministry official. Another suspect was caught casing a senior Defense Ministry official, planning to use a bomb concealed in a document folder for the murder.
While the FSB did not reveal the planned date of the attacks, one arrested suspect mentioned December 23, 2024, as the intended day of the assault. State-run television in Russia has aired footage of several suspects confessing to being recruited by Ukrainian intelligence.
Rhetorically, Moscow places the blame for the assassination attempts squarely on Ukraine’s shoulders, claiming Western nations are backing these terrorist acts. This comes in the wake of the August 2022 murder of Darya Dugina, daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist politician. Media reports, including The New York Times, have hinted at Ukrainian involvement in that incident as well.
