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Russia's intelligence agency announced on Monday it had taken an individual into custody for a foiled assassination attempt on the Kremlin-backed head of Crimea.
The agency, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), also said Ukraine was behind the attempt. Newsweek could not verify these claims.
"An assassination attempt against the Head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, plotted by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, has been thwarted," a statement from the FSB said, according to the Kremlin-backed media outlet Tass.
The FSB did not provide a date for when the alleged would-be assassin was taken into custody, but it said he arrived in Crimea at some point in June to begin preparing a terrorist attack. The agency said that the unnamed suspect planned to blow up Aksyonov's car and that he was carrying an "explosive device" at the time of his capture.
"The bomber failed to follow through with his criminal plans as he was detained while removing an explosive device from a cache," the FSB's statement said, according to Tass.
Russian state media outlet Zvezda shared a video on its Telegram channel that reportedly shows masked FSB agents taking the suspect into custody.
Russian authorities provide little other information about the detained individual, but it's been reported that he is a Russian national who was born in 1988. Officials also said he was recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and allegedly received mine-explosive training.
The FSB said the detained suspect confessed to his alleged crime.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
Crimea was once part of Ukraine, but Russia invaded and annexed the peninsula in 2014. After Ukraine's military forces began gaining momentum in the current war that Russia started in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky began publicly stating that Crimea needs to be recognized as Ukrainian territory as one of his conditions for a ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin officials, meanwhile, have said that Crimea must remain part of Russia in any potential peace deal.
The FSB has previously said Ukraine's special services targeted Aksyonov for assassination. In early May, the agency said it had prevented a series of sabotage attacks—which included planned assassination attempts on Aksyonov and other officials—and arrested seven people.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Putin was aware of the alleged assassination plot involving Aksyonov and praised the regional leader's strength.
"Aksyonov is a true fighter, and it [the assassination attempt] is certainly not enough to intimidate him. We wish that he retains his strength of spirit and fortitude," Peskov said, according to Tass.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more