Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), along with police and National Guard units in Moscow, have been placed on high alert following intelligence reports of a potential Ukrainian sabotage attack. The RIA news agency reported on Tuesday that the FSB, the primary successor to the Soviet-era KGB, received information detailing Ukrainian plans to target government officials, military personnel from the Ministry of Defense, and law enforcement officers.
This heightened security posture comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine enters its fourth year, characterized by increasing long-range strikes and clandestine operations far behind the front lines targeting critical infrastructure and high-ranking individuals.
The threat follows a string of high-profile security breaches within the Russian capital, including an assassination attempt in February on Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev, the deputy head of Russian military intelligence (GRU). Alekseev survived after being shot three times with a silenced Makarov pistol in an apartment building on the Volokolamsk Highway in northern Moscow. As both sides continue to deploy drones and sabotage units for deep-territory missions, Moscow’s intensified security measures underscore the growing vulnerability of the Russian administrative and military elite to asymmetric warfare tactics.