ROSTOV-ON-DON REGION, RUSSIA – JULY 15, 2019: Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers detain two members of a cell of the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia). Video screen grab/ Russian Federal Security Service/TASS.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, better known as the FSB, announced on November 2 that it had foiled a series of planned attacks against Russian servicemen involving first-person view (FPV) drone goggles fitted with improvised explosive devices.
The explosives were discovered after a serviceman in the Volgograd region received two pairs of FPV goggles from a volunteer and contacted the FSB to have the equipment inspected.
Explosives specialists used X-ray scans to examine the goggles and found that improvised explosive devices had been installed inside them in place of cooling fans, the security agency said in a statement.
Following the discovery, security personnel conducted inspections in several Russian regions and seized a batch of similarly disguised explosive devices. The equipment had been sent through Russian Post and was intended for delivery to Russian military units operating on the front lines.
“Detonation of the explosive devices was supposed to occur when the FPV goggles were switched on and would have led to the deaths of servicemen,” the FSB said.
According to the agency, Ukrainian intelligence personnel had used anonymous Telegram accounts to establish contact with Russian volunteer organizations and charitable foundations, posing as supporters seeking to provide military assistance.
The operatives allegedly concealed their identities, refusing to disclose personal information, telephone numbers or places of employment. They also refused to switch to the Russian messaging platform Max for telephone communications and insisted that volunteers provide videos of Russian servicemen expressing gratitude for the donations.
“During correspondence with volunteers about organizing the shipment of FPV goggles containing improvised explosive devices, they acted covertly, did not disclose their personal information, telephone numbers or places of employment, refused to switch to the Max messenger for telephone communications and obligatorily demanded videos with words of gratitude from Russian servicemen,” the FSB said.
The agency added that the volunteers were supposed to forward the booby-trapped goggles to Russian military units for use by drone operators directly involved in combat operations.
An investigation has been opened in the Volgograd region under criminal legislation covering the illegal manufacture and handling of explosives and preparation of a terrorist attack, according to the agency, which said it was searching for those involved in sending the devices.
The latest plot follows a similar attempt in February of last year, when a shipment of Skyzone Cobra X V4 FPV goggles containing plastic explosives was sent to Russian military units through volunteer groups. The devices were designed to detonate when switched on, in a tactic closely resembling that used in Israel’s Mossad-led operation that detonated thousands of booby-trapped pagers and communication devices used by Hezbollah in Lebanon in September of the prior year. The February attempt, however, was a complete failure.
The FSB warned volunteer organizations, charities and private individuals to verify the origin of donations and inspect deliveries for explosives and toxic substances. The agency said previous explosive devices had been disguised as perfume sets, power banks, portable speakers, decorative figurines, religious items, automotive parts, paving slabs and heated shoe insoles.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
mossad training neonazi banderites. don’t that beat all.
well they trained al quaida allready so why not banderites.