Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the arrests of eight suspects who it claims were plotting to attack an industrial facility in the Moscow Region, TASS and Kommersant report. Allegedly, the group was led by Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner.
The detainees are being charged under articles covering terrorism and participation in a terrorist organization; the first of these carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment.
Law enforcement agencies previously reported the detention of three people in connection with the case: a former Wagner fighter, an "acquaintance of Kyivstoner" who worked as a driver, and a 16-year-old. A fourth man, who had rented warehouses to pick up the drones for the alleged attack, was killed during his arrest.
The FSB had not shared any information about the other suspects, stating only that several more teenagers "aged 13 to 16" were implicated after having allegedly activated SIM cards in the drones. Two Moldovan nationals who had by then left Russia were also purportedly involved. The names of the individuals in custody are not being disclosed.
The FSB reported the attempted attack on a defense industry facility in the Moscow Region in mid-July. According to the agency, the perpetrators intended to use FPV (first-person view) drones. They were allegedly even launched, but were shot down. The drones, disguised as a shipment of Spanish ceramic tiles, were transported to Russia from Ukraine via Slovakia, Poland, and Belarus.
The FSB named Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner (Albert Vasyliev) as the mastermind of the attack. The performer has denied the allegations.
“Attention is cool. But not of this kind — f*ck that... Why the f**k? I'm ch*lling, bro, I've been playing Dota,” he later wrote on social media.
One of the “drone saboteurs” was detained in the Moscow Region city of Balashikha, as The Insider has established from the FSB’s July video. Balashikha is home to several facilities fulfilling contracts with Russia's Ministry of Defense.
