All articles tagged with #fsb
An explosion in Sevastopol, Crimea, killed a Russian service member, with authorities detaining a woman believed to have carried out the attack on orders from Ukraine's intelligence services; the victim's identity was not released, and the case highlights ongoing Ukrainian strikes on the occupied Crimean peninsula that hosts Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
A Russian court sentenced Georgy Pirogov to 23 years in a high-security penal colony for spying for Polish intelligence, accused by the FSB of obtaining restricted information on Russian missiles and supporting Ukraine’s armed forces; the verdict came a day after Poland said it had detained a Russian national suspected of planning an assassination in Warsaw. The case reflects Russia’s expanded treason and espionage laws and powers, while Pirogov’s movements before capture remain unclear, with reports he spent time in Georgia and Uzbekistan prior to returning to Russia.
The Daily Beast reports that Putin’s security services have increasingly relied on manufactured alternate realities and inflated counterterrorism claims to shore up his rule, with critics warning the FSB has become a pillar of Kremlin power and elites fear its grip is weakening even as deadly attacks and international intrigue underscore ongoing power plays.
Facing waning support for the Ukraine war and mounting pressure on the Kremlin, Putin is leaning on the FSB and hardline security chiefs to tighten control, sidelining moderate advisors and signaling a rise in repression as Russia’s elite grow uneasy and NATO tensions loom.
Russia charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorist activity and placed him on an international wanted list, alleging Telegram helped Ukrainian intelligence recruit and coordinate sabotage and extremist actions; the FSB also said Telegram failed to remove channels and bots linked to such activities. Durov denies wrongdoing and has faced prior investigations in France, with restrictions eased in 2025.
Russia charged Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, with aiding terrorism and issued an international arrest warrant, accusing Telegram of hosting channels, chats and bots used by Ukrainian intelligence and extremists to plan attacks; Durov could face life in prison if convicted, as Moscow continues to tighten internet control and restrict Telegram in Russia.
Russia has charged Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, with facilitating terrorism, alleging the app was used by Ukrainian security services to recruit and coordinate acts inside Russia; an international arrest warrant has been issued, though it is unclear whether other countries will honor it, and Durov remains abroad with French and UAE citizenship.
Russia has charged Pavel Durov, cofounder of Telegram, with aiding terrorism and issued an international arrest warrant, alleging Telegram channels and bots tied to Ukrainian intelligence and extremist groups helped plan attacks. Telegram has not commented; Moscow is pushing to curb Telegram and promote MAX, a state-backed service with weaker privacy. Durov also faces a French probe and has historically resisted Russian data requests, denying wrongdoing.
The EU has blacklisted members of Russia’s FSB-led Turla cyber espionage group for years of hacking and spying across Europe and Ukraine, targeting governments and critical infrastructure; the sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes on individuals and entities such as AST and NPP Gamma, with the UK also imposing penalties.
European intelligence sources say a string of high-ranking Russian officer killings is exposing a rift inside Putin’s security system: the FSB resists handling protection for generals while the military gains battlefield clout, fueling internal tensions and potentially affecting Kremlin politics ahead of September elections.
Ukrainian Defense Forces said they conducted overnight strikes hitting oil depots in Crimea (Semikolodezyanskaya in Lenine and Feodosia, the latter with a 10–12 million ton/year capacity), an FSB command post in Belgorod region, and an ammunition depot in Donetsk region, along with targets in the Leningrad region and other occupied areas, aiming to disrupt fuel storage and military logistics for Russian forces.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) says its Alpha Center struck the Russian FSB HQ in occupied Kherson, destroying the building and a Pantsir-S1 system; President Zelenskyy says roughly 100 Russian personnel were killed or wounded, and Kyiv vows to continue precision strikes on enemy rear targets as the war drags on; exact location and officer identities are still being verified.
Ukraine’s SBU-Alfa unit struck a Russian FSB headquarters in occupied Kherson Oblast, reportedly killing and wounding about 100 Russian troops and destroying a Pantsir-S1 air defense system valued at up to $20 million, per President Zelensky, in a continuing campaign against Moscow’s forces in southern Ukraine.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine's SBU Special Operations Center 'Alpha' hit a Russian FSB headquarters and destroyed a Pantsir-S1 on occupied Ukrainian territory, claiming around 100 Russian troops killed or wounded; the claim is unverified and the strike is reported to have occurred in Kherson Oblast amid ongoing deep-strike operations.
Zelensky announced Ukrainian special forces struck a Russian FSB headquarters in the occupied Kherson region and destroyed a Pantsir-S1 air defense system, with around 100 Russian casualties. The operation targeted Henicheska Hirka near the Sea of Azov and was part of broader security actions in northern regions near Russia and Belarus, carried out by the SSU Center for Special Operations “A.”