All articles tagged with #fsb
Analysts warn Putin’s grip may be aging, prompting a race among a younger generation (mostly 40s–50s) tied to Russia’s security services to potentially succeed him; highlighted figures include Dmitry Patrushev and Aleksei Dyumin; success hinges on building the strongest coalition across Moscow’s power centers while safeguarding the regime after Putin’s departure.
Ukraine's SBU says Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, was in contact with the Russian FSB and tasked with planning an assassination against a Russian opposition leader around Ukraine's Independence Day; the plot was foiled. Kaplunov admits FSB contact, but he and the RC say he was abducted and tortured to confess, a claim his lawyer characterizes as coercive. Some outlets identified the target as Akhmed Zakayev, though the SBU did not name him publicly.
Ukraine’s security service (SBU) says it foiled an alleged Russian FSB plot to assassinate anti-Kremlin figure Stepan Kaplunov in Kyiv; during a search, SBU special forces exchanged gunfire with attackers, detaining several and wounding others, with prosecutors opening a case on attempted murder of law enforcement; Zelensky publicly pressed the SBU and HUR for transparency, while Moscow has not commented.
Ukraine’s Security Service said it, with Defence Intelligence, foiled a Russian FSB plot to attack a Russian opposition leader who had travelled to Ukraine; a shootout occurred in Kyiv with three DIU officers wounded, and officials have not released further details as investigators continue, amid unconfirmed links to the disappearance of a Russian Volunteer Corps commander.
A Kyiv shootout involved SBU officers and members of HUR during an operation aimed at thwarting a Russian FSB plot against the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). The State Bureau of Investigation intervened as attackers blocked law enforcement, were detained, and a criminal probe was opened; authorities are also scrutinizing the disappearance of RDK deputy Stepan Kaplunov, with calls for a thorough, impartial investigation.
FSB Chair Andrew Bailey warns ahead of G20 FMCBG meetings that global markets remain vulnerable to a disorderly correction amid sovereign debt fragilities, private credit risks, and stretched asset valuations, with frontier AI introducing new cyber-risk factors; calls for resilience and global safeguards on safe, responsible AI deployment to protect market confidence.
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, as chair of the Financial Stability Board, warns frontier AI models could dramatically accelerate cyber risks and potentially trigger disorderly global market corrections, urging governments to strengthen safeguards and firms to boost vulnerability management and incident response ahead of G20 discussions.
Russia’s leadership has shifted from counterterrorism to a pervasive spy-hunting regime, using the FSB to root out perceived threats across government, industry, and society. While this narrows opposition and strengthens regime control, it also suppresses data, silences officials, and breeds self-censorship, undermining governance and potentially provoking elite paralysis as the war drags on.
A 24-year-old Russian woman is a suspect in the bombing of a car carrying a St. Petersburg lieutenant colonel; she reportedly was contacted by Ukrainian forces to plant the bomb and then leave Russia for Ukraine, traveling to Turkey and then Moldova as authorities pursued her, with the officer’s identity not officially disclosed.
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.