Moscow said on Tuesday a Russian working for Ukrainian security services died when an explosive in his possession detonated during arrest in the Samara region, alleging he was planning an attack.
The FSB security services said the suspect was a member of the Russian Volunteer Corps, one of several pro-Ukrainian armed groups that has recently launched incursions in Russian border regions from Ukraine.
“When the perpetrator was apprehended, the IED he had seized detonated, leaving him with fatal injuries. Neither security personnel nor civilians were injured,” the FSB said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
The announcement came just days after gunmen killed at least 139 people at a Moscow concert hall in the deadliest attack on Russia in decades, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.
The FSB said the man who died in Samara was born in 1994 and had planned to plant an explosive at a collection point for humanitarian aid.
It said they had found more explosives and materials for producing bombs at the suspect’s home as well as contacts for Ukrainian special services in his phone.
Since Moscow launched large-scale hostilities in Ukraine in early 2022, the FSB has announced a slew of arrests, mainly of Russians it says were collaborating with Ukraine or preparing attacks on military facilities.
Despite the claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group for the attack on the concert hall in Moscow, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has continued to suggest Kyiv could be linked to the massacre.
