Award frame concealing Ukraine-sent bomb intercepted in Moscow – media (VIDEO)

Russian security services have reportedly foiled an attack on the leader of a drone training project

Russian security services have prevented a bombing attempt targeting Mikhail Filippov, the leader of the volunteer project Archangel, which trains military personnel in drone operations, TASS has reported.

A courier attempted to deliver a frame for an award letter containing a hidden explosive device to Filippov in Moscow, according to the report, citing Archangel project manager Vitaly Romanov.

The operation unfolded under the surveillance of Russian security service agents, who immediately detained both the courier and the bomb’s handler. The device was defused safely, and no injuries were reported, according to Romanov.

“The attempt to deliver a bomb disguised as a commemorative certificate was stopped under the direct control of security officers,” Romanov told TASS, adding that the attack was masterminded by Ukrainian intelligence services.

Established in 2022 shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Archangel focuses on training personnel in drone operation and developing unmanned aerial systems.

Earlier on Thursday, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported preventing additional assassination attempts targeting high-ranking Russian military officials and their families.

The FSB attributed the plots to Ukrainian intelligence services, alleging that the agents intended to escape to Ukraine and eventually to an EU country following the remote detonation of the explosives.

Four Russian citizens were detained in connection with the plots. Among the incidents described, one involved a bomb disguised as a folder intended for use against a Defense Ministry official, while another targeted a military officer’s vehicle with an explosive device disguised as a power bank.

Authorities have also uncovered hidden caches in Moscow Region containing explosives intended for similar attacks. Investigations into these incidents are ongoing.

Since February 2022, a number of public figures supportive of Moscow’s position on the Ukraine conflict have been killed in assassinations attributed to Kiev’s intelligence services.

Last week, General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, and his assistant died in a bomb attack in Moscow. The suspect in that attack was apprehended shortly after the incident