Russia’s FSB security service on Tuesday accused Ukrainian rapper Kyivstoner of organizing a foiled drone plot that sought to target a defense enterprise in the Moscow region.
Kyivstoner, whose real name is Albert Vasilyev, swiftly denied the allegations on social media. “I’m chilling and playing Dota. What organizing are you talking about?” he said in a series of expletive-filled posts on Instagram.
According to the FSB, the plot also involved a former Wagner mercenary and a network of recruited operatives. It claimed that Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service smuggled 35 FPV drones into Russia.
The drones, which had allegedly been assembled in Kyiv and fitted with Canadian control systems, were hidden inside a cargo shipment of Spanish ceramic tiles and transported through Slovakia, Poland and Belarus, the FSB said.
Russian officials said the explosives were stored in a rented warehouse near the target site under the guise of building materials. The warehouse tenant, a Russian citizen accused of being recruited by Ukraine for payment, was killed during an arrest attempt.
Two Moldovan nationals involved in the plot reportedly left Russia after helping prepare the site, the FSB claimed.
The alleged drone operator, identified as a naturalized Russian citizen and former Wagner mercenary who received a presidential pardon and a Russian passport in 2023 after fighting in Ukraine, was arrested after attempting to launch the aircraft.
The FSB claimed the drones were destroyed before reaching their target.
Video published by the state-run news agency TASS showed surveillance footage of the plot’s preparation, a suspect’s interrogation and an anonymous FSB officer’s claim that the operator was a member of the Islamic State.
The footage also showed several drones catching fire inside a warehouse before cutting to plainclothes agents arresting a person outside what appeared to be a supermarket.
The Moscow Times could not independently verify the FSB’s claims. Ukraine has not commented on the allegations.
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