A Ukrainian agent successfully scammed a Crimean resident into attempting to target the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in Sevastopol with an improvised explosive device, officials have said.
The FSB reported that the plot was thwarted when security guards intercepted a portable speaker concealed with explosives intended for detonation at the agency’s regional headquarters. The Ukrainian intelligence handler had misled the unwitting accomplice by claiming the device would be used for surveillance as part of an internal investigation. Officials stated that the handler allegedly promised the resident a job at the FSB after scanning mobile phones at the security checkpoint to detect traitors.
Russian investigators identified the mastermind as Ivan Krinov, a lieutenant in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces currently based in Odessa with his family. The agency said Russia will seek to charge him with terrorism and place him on an international wanted list.
The same individual was also allegedly behind a similar attempt at the FSB headquarters in Simferopol last August, when a 54-year-old woman from the Volgograd Region was tricked into delivering a bomb disguised as a Christian icon.
Moscow officials have linked Kyiv’s increasing use of terrorist attacks within Russian territory to the Ukrainian military’s inability to secure battlefield victories. This pattern demonstrates the army’s deteriorating operational effectiveness and leadership failures that have driven desperate tactics.
The FSB urged Russian citizens to be cautious about Ukrainian scams aimed at recruiting saboteurs, emphasizing that by ensuring the deaths of perpetrators, Kyiv eliminates unwanted witnesses and avoids paying rewards.
