Russia claimed that it had succeeded in foiling the Ukrainian government’s efforts to take the life of Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed ruler of Crimea. In a statement released on Monday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed to have apprehended a Russian national who had been recruited as an assassin by Ukraine’s intelligence agency SBU. According to the FSB statement, the suspect had undergone explosives, reconnaissance and sabotage training in Ukraine. The accusation made by Russia was immediately met with silence from the Ukrainian government. It came amid Russian media claims that security had been tightened in Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and that more security checks were being carried out on people trying to cross a bridge from the southern Russian region of Krasnodar to Crimea. These two developments happened at the same time.
The FSB statement went on to say that the original intention was to detonate an explosive device inside Aksyonov’s vehicle, but the agent was arrested while attempting to remove an explosive device from a hiding place. The individual who was being held by the agency has not been identified, but they said he was in his 30s and invaded Crimea in June. Both “attempt to commit a terrorist act” and “illegal possession of explosives” were among the suspicions that weighed on him. Aksyonov expressed his gratitude to the FSB for foiling what he called an “attempt on the lives of the leaders of the Republic of Crimea”. He also said he was confident that the individuals who ordered the assassination attempt that was foiled will be located and punished. Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine has been committed to regaining full control of Crimea as well as other eastern and southern parts of the country that Russia claims have annexed. kyiv has repeatedly made it clear that it will not negotiate any peace deal until all Russian troops stationed on Ukrainian soil have been withdrawn. The Ukrainian government announced on Monday that its armed forces had managed to retake 37.4 square kilometers (14.4 square miles) of ground along the eastern and southern fronts from the counteroffensive they had launched against Russian troops. “Heavy fighting is going on there right now,” Maliar said on Telegram.
Furthermore, Maliar said that “as a result of the improved operational (tactical) position and front line alignment”, 9 square kilometers (3.5 sq mi) of territory along the front oriental had been picked up during the previous week. Despite the challenges that have been presented, the Ukrainian military is making progress, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The situation on the front line has been tense all last week. However, we are making progress,” he added in the Telegram message. “We are making progress, one small step at a time! I am grateful to all those who fight for the freedom of Ukraine and to all those who lead this conflict towards the eventual triumph of Ukraine.
