Russia announced on Thursday that it had thwarted multiple assassination attempts orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence aimed at high-ranking Russian officials and their families in Moscow. These plots involved explosives concealed as power banks or document folders.

On December 17, Ukraine‘s SBU intelligence agency was responsible for the assassination of Lieutenant General Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops. He was killed in Moscow outside his residence when a bomb attached to an electric scooter was detonated.

A source from the SBU confirmed to Reuters that the agency was behind the operation. In response, Russia labeled the incident a terrorist act by Ukraine, with which it has been in conflict since February 2022, and pledged to retaliate.

“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has successfully prevented a number of assassination plots targeting senior military officials of the Defence Ministry,” the FSB stated.

The agency reported that four Russian nationals involved in planning these attacks had been apprehended. Ukraine’s SBU has not yet provided a response to a request for comment from Reuters.

The FSB, which is the primary successor to the Soviet-era KGB, indicated that these Russian citizens had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. One of the suspects had obtained a bomb disguised as a portable charger in Moscow, intended to be magnetically affixed to the vehicle of a senior Defence Ministry official, according to the FSB.

A Russian individual was assigned to gather intelligence on high-ranking officials within the Russian defense sector, with one scheme reportedly involving the delivery of an explosive device concealed within a document folder.

According to reports, an explosive device camouflaged as a portable charger, equipped with magnets, was intended to be placed beneath the vehicle of a senior leader in the Russian Defense Ministry. The specific timing of the planned attacks remains uncertain; however, one suspect indicated that he had obtained a bomb on December 23, as per the FSB.

Russian state television broadcast what it claimed were recordings of some suspects who confessed to being recruited by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out bombings targeting officials of the Russian defense ministry. Moscow accuses Ukraine of orchestrating a series of high-profile assassinations on its territory aimed at undermining morale, asserting that the West is backing a “terrorist regime” in Kyiv.

Ukraine, which views Russia’s aggression as a fundamental threat to its sovereignty, has stated that it considers such targeted killings a legitimate strategy. Darya Dugina, the 29-year-old daughter of a notable Russian nationalist, was killed in August 2022 near Moscow. The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence agencies believe elements of the Ukrainian government sanctioned the assassination. Subsequently, U.S. officials reportedly reprimanded Ukrainian authorities regarding the incident, although Ukraine has denied involvement in Dugina’s death.