Sevastopol, August 26, 2025
Russian security services have prevented a terrorist attack planned by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) targeting FSB officers in Crimea, according to an announcement by Russia’s Federal Security Service on August 25.
A 54-year-old Russian citizen, a resident of the Volgograd Province, was detained after being fraudulently involved in terrorist activities by Ukrainian special services using the Telegram messenger. The woman had initially fallen victim to a telephone fraud scheme and was attempting to recover stolen funds, reports RIA-Novosti.
The elaborate deception began in May when an SBU representative contacted the woman, posing as an FSB investigator. The caller claimed that a Ukrainian citizen on a terrorist list had used a power of attorney in her name to obtain credit and transfer the funds to Ukraine’s armed forces. To avoid supposed criminal liability, the woman was instructed to mortgage her apartment and take out several loans totaling over 3 million rubles, which she then transferred to the scammers.
Following further instructions from her Ukrainian handler, the woman traveled to Crimea where she collected an Orthodox icon from a courier. Unknown to her, the icon had an improvised explosive device installed inside. She brought the icon to the checkpoint of the FSB office building in Sevastopol, where security forces detained her.
During the inspection, a high-explosive type IED with a capacity of one kilogram in TNT equivalent was detected and neutralized in the icon. The device contained foreign-made plastic explosives, an electric detonator, a power source, and a mechanism that would trigger upon receiving a coded signal.
According to the FSB, the SBU’s plan would have resulted in casualties among both FSB employees and the unwitting bomber herself, as she had been instructed to personally send the activation code to the device.
The detained woman told investigators she had attempted to send the code twice. “My handler told me to send a code to the phone. I sent it and entered the checkpoint. There was poor signal there, and this code didn’t work, so I left. The second time my handler tells me: dial and send the code again. I sent it again, entered the checkpoint, said I needed to deliver a package to someone. The security lock engaged, an officer came out, and I was arrested,” she recounted.
The Kirov District Court of Simferopol has ordered the woman detained for two months.
The Crimean Metropolia condemned the incident, stating that using sacred religious objects for terrorist purposes represents not just a crime against the law but “the gravest sacrilege.”
“The act of sacrilege, expressed in the use of sacred objects for terrorist purposes, represents not just a crime against the law, but the gravest blasphemy. Public condemnation of such crimes must be categorical and unanimous,” the Metropolia’s press service stated.
“Protecting religious items is not only a matter of faith, but a most important aspect of preserving humanity’s cultural heritage. We’re obligated to defend every person’s right to freely practice their faith and protect the symbols sacred to them,” the Crimean Metropolia added.
Follow OrthoChristian on Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, MeWe, and Gab!
