Russian authorities have thwarted a planned terrorist attack on a cadet dormitory of a military academy near Moscow, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB). A military serviceman, who was recruited by a Ukrainian intelligence agency, was arrested while preparing to carry out the crime, the FSB reported.
The incident occurred in the Moscow region, where a planned terrorist attack on a unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense was foiled, according to the TASS news agency, citing the FSB.
As a result of the measures taken, a soldier of the Russian Ministry of Defense, who was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, was arrested while extracting components to make an explosive device from a hiding place. He was involved in preparing a terrorist attack at a dormitory where cadets from military universities reside, the FSB said.
Footage of the arrest, reportedly from the Russian internet segment, has been circulating.
Correspondence between the recruit and his Ukrainian contact man about the planned crime was secured, the FSB added.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has taken up the case and shared a video clip of the initial interrogation of the suspect, who claimed to have built an explosive belt, intended to be worn and detonated near a person designated by his Ukrainian contact man. Notably, the individual does not appear to be an Islamic extremist, as such methods are more commonly associated with that type of terrorism. This case is an unusual one.