Russian Security Service Thwarts Assassination Attempts on Prominent Journalists

Russian news agency Interfax reported on Saturday that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have thwarted alleged plots supported by Ukraine to assassinate two prominent Russian journalists. The FSB indicated that it arrested an unspecified number of individuals on Friday who "conducted reconnaissance near the homes of Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak, as well as their workplace." The statement added: "The detainees confessed to preparing an attack on the journalists on behalf of Ukraine and that they were promised a reward of 1.5 million rubles (approximately $16,620)." Simonyan is the editor-in-chief of the state-owned RT channel and a prominent supporter of Russia's war in Ukraine, while Sobchak is a well-known journalist and TV presenter who ran for president in 2018. Ukraine has not commented on the matter but has previously denied involvement in assassinations of pro-war figures within Russia.