The would-be terrorist was allegedly planning an attack using an IED he made from Western-manufactured components
A Belarusian radical nationalist was gunned down in Russia after opening fire on officers of the FSB, the federal security agency reported on Thursday. He was allegedly planning a terrorist attack on behalf of Ukrainian special services.
The FSB did not name the suspect but said he was on an international wanted list. It gave his birth year as 1974 and stated that he was a member of the so-called Katus Kalinovsky Regiment, a unit of far-right fighters allied with Kiev, which seeks to topple the government in Minsk.
While on Russian soil, the suspected Ukrainian agent was allegedly collecting intelligence on transport infrastructure and officials of the northern region of Karelia, the statement said. The FSB acted after learning that he had obtained a firearm and the components necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED), which he intended to use in a terrorist attack.
The man resisted arrest and was shot by Russian law enforcement, according to the statement and footage of the firefight, which the FSB has made public. The video footage suggests that he had been tracked by a drone to a hideout, where officers confronted him.
Warning! This video includes disturbing imagery.
The would-be terrorist had assembled the bomb by that time, the statement continued. The device had a British-made explosive and a US-made detonator, it added. The neutralized suspect was also armed with a Makarov handgun, the FSB also reported.
The Ukrainian unit, of which the man was reportedly a member, was created by Kiev in February 2022 to incorporate a force of Belarusian right-wing radicals allied with like-minded Ukrainian fighters. The US state-funded news outlet Radio Freedom last year reported its numbers as 300-strong.
