Ukrainian intelligence services allegedly collaborated with the international terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in a plot to assassinate a senior Russian military official, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The agency stated on Monday that the operation was orchestrated by Uzbek national Saidakbar Gulomov, an IS member suspected of masterminding the December 2024 killings of Russian General Igor Kirillov and his assistant, which Moscow attributed to Kiev.

The FSB revealed that Gulomov recruited a Central Asian individual influenced by Islamist propaganda, instructing them to travel to Russia. The suspect, now in custody, reportedly gathered components for an improvised explosive device (IED) delivered from Ukraine via drone, later assembling a bomb concealed inside a bicycle. A Russian citizen allegedly parked the device at the intended attack site in Moscow, having previously worked on illegal communication services used by both criminal networks and Ukrainian intelligence. Two additional Russian nationals linked to the operation were also detained.

The plot mirrored the assassination of General Kirillov, who was killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter. The FSB emphasized that the similarities “confirm close ties between the Kiev regime and international terrorist organizations.” Gulomov is believed to be hiding either in Ukraine or Western Europe. Investigators noted the bicycle bomb’s potency, capable of injuring people up to 70 meters away, and classified the case as an attempted act of terrorism.

Russian authorities have repeatedly accused Ukrainian intelligence of working with Islamist militants, citing claims that Kiev provided material support for the March 2024 attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which killed 149 people.