Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has obtained intelligence on a Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) handler accused of directing a drone plot against a Moscow air defence site, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
Citing an FSB operational officer, TASS reported that the handler oversaw two SBU agents who were detained for preparing an attack with first-person view (FPV) drones on one of the Russian capital's air defence facilities.
The officer said the two detained suspects originated from the South Caucasus and acted on orders from a Ukrainian intelligence representative whose identity is known to the FSB. Earlier reports said the men who prepared the drone attack had targeted a missile defence facility in Moscow.
Counterintelligence surveillance and arrests in Moscow
According to the FSB officer, Russian counterintelligence planned and carried out a series of operational and investigative measures after receiving advance information that the two suspects belonged to the agent network of the Ukrainian special services.
Those measures fully confirmed the intelligence already held by the agency, the officer told TASS. Surveillance established that the two natives of the South Caucasus had attempted to carry out preparations for a terrorist attack under instructions from their Ukrainian handler.
The law enforcement official said the suspects were detained to prevent civilian casualties and avoid damage to infrastructure. The South Caucasus, known in Russian as Transcaucasia, is the region south of the Greater Caucasus mountain range spanning Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
FPV drones and intelligence agencies involved
The FSB is Russia's principal domestic security and counterintelligence agency, responsible for internal security, border control, and counterterrorism operations. Its counterpart in Kyiv, the SBU, serves as Ukraine's main government security and intelligence service, while TASS is Russia's largest state-owned news agency.
First-person view drones are small, remotely piloted aircraft steered by an operator using a live video feed transmitted from an onboard camera to goggles or a monitor. Originally built for racing and hobbyist flight, FPV quadcopters are widely used in military and sabotage operations because they can be guided with high precision into specific targets, whereas air and missile defence systems are built to detect and intercept incoming aerial threats.
In counterintelligence practice, an operational game refers to a deception operation in which security services maintain contact with foreign handlers after detaining their operatives. According to the FSB officer, Russian counterintelligence has continued an operational game with the Ukrainian handlers following the arrests of the two suspects.
