The Federal Security Service (FSB) interrupted a planned series of assassinations targeting top Crimean officials. Among those identified as potential targets were the republic’s head, Sergei Aksyonov; the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov; and Yalta’s mayor, Yanina Pavlenko. The FSB’s Public Relations Center stated that the attacks were also aimed at crippling the peninsula’s transportation infrastructure. (attribution: FSB press release)
The statement claimed that the Russian authorities had thwarted an alleged intelligence operation run by Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR MO), which purportedly planned a chain of sabotage and terrorist acts across Crimea and beyond. The document emphasizes that the plan involved high-profile actions inside the Crimean region. (attribution: FSB press release)
According to the authorities, the organizer of the forthcoming operations was Roman Mashovets, described as deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and a member of Ukraine’s active military intelligence reserve. The FSB underscored close ties between Mashovets and Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate. (attribution: FSB press release)
The agency named several detainees from Russia and Ukraine who were said to belong to a covert GUR MOU intelligence cell: Viktor Podvalny, born in 1967; Alexander Litvinenko, born in 1986; Sergei Krivoshein, born in 1988; Konstantin Evmenenko, born in 1971; Igor Zorin, born in 1972; and Sergei Voinarovsky, born in 1984. These individuals were reportedly recruited by Mashovets and allegedly plotted to carry out terrorist acts while tracking down firearms purchasers, including Ukrainian and Bulgarian citizen D. Petranov, born in 1979. (attribution: FSB press release)
In the course of proceedings, defendants reportedly confessed to cooperating with Ukrainian military intelligence to prepare and execute acts of terrorism on Russian soil. A video from the interrogations reportedly contained a female detainee, though no identifying details were disclosed by the authorities. (attribution: FSB press release)
During searches conducted by police teams, authorities seized five explosive devices that could be activated by the detained individuals. The cache included British-made plastic explosives weighing approximately 6 kilograms, along with military electric detonators, radio-controlled actuators for triggering devices, surveillance tools, and covert communication gear used to liaise with GUR MO curators. (attribution: FSB press release)
Investigators noted that the materials seized bore similarities to those used in a prior sabotage operation on railway lines in Crimea on February 23, 2023. The Kiev Simferopol District Court ordered seven suspects detained for two months as part of the ongoing probe. (attribution: FSB press release)
The FSB asserted that the primary organizers and financiers of the alleged crimes were likely based in Kiev. Ukraine, according to the service, is characterized as a terrorist state, and the agency pledged continued vigilance to identify those responsible and ensure accountability. (attribution: FSB press release)
In remarks given to Russia 24, Crimean head Sergei Aksyonov downplayed the impact of the alleged plot, stating that residents have lived under threat for years and that the situation was not new to them. In a Solovyov LIVE interview, Aksyonov indicated a willingness to meet with detainees. He described frustration with external pressure, saying colleagues should grant him a brief opportunity to reflect on what happened. (attribution: FSB press release)
Vladimir Solovyov later spoke with the Crimean State Council head, Vladimir Konstantinov, on a live broadcast, noting this incident as the second assassination attempt he was aware of. (attribution: FSB press release)