Serious accusations against the Ukrainian intelligence services are made by the FSB, the Federal Security Service of Russia, claiming that an alleged SBU agent reportedly urged a terrorist attack in the United States on Independence Day, on July 4.
According to an announcement by the Public Relations Center of the FSB, 33-year-old Kirill Makarenko, who is wanted by the Russian authorities for terrorism cases, allegedly maintains close cooperation with the Ukrainian security services and coordinates networks of extremists through the Telegram platform.
The Russian security service claims that Makarenko was the coordinator of a network of neo-Nazi channels on Telegram, which, according to it, were used for the recruitment and guidance of individuals associated with the extremist organization Maniac Cult of Murder, which has been designated as terrorist and banned in Russia.
Revelations about the terrorist strike in the US
According to the FSB announcement, Kirill Makarenko allegedly called on administrators of these specific online communities to organize a terrorist attack in Washington during United States Independence Day.
The Russian authorities claim that the goal was the use of an improvised destructive explosive device based on ammonium nitrate, presenting the action as retaliation for the arrest of individuals who, according to the same claims, had been recruited abroad, as Tass writes.
At the same time, the FSB reports that Makarenko allegedly created English-language propaganda material from Kyiv with threats of attacks on schools, aiming, as it claims, at a Western audience.
The improvised explosive device at the center of the allegations
Particular sensation is caused by the FSB revelation that the alleged plan provided for the use of an improvised explosive device based on an industrial explosive material which, according to security experts, has been used in the past in various armed conflicts and terrorist attacks due to its relatively easy manufacture when the necessary raw materials are available.
The Russian security service claims that the relevant instructions were circulated through closed channels on Telegram, where, according to its claims, coordination of extremists and exchange of information about potential attacks took place.
Extreme Ukrainian organizations operate in Kyiv, how they connect with the SBU
Although the FSB does not attribute a specific political motive behind the alleged plan, some analysts estimate that it cannot be ruled out that the timing is related to the climate created after the decisions of Donald Trump to significantly reduce United States military aid to Ukraine.
These decisions have caused intense dissatisfaction in parts of the Ukrainian political and military leadership, as well as in circles that support the continuation of American military support to Kyiv.
Viewed in this light, there is no shortage of estimates that the escalation of rhetoric or even the formulation of threats could be part of a broader environment of tension that has been created after the shift in American policy.
Accusations of an international network
The Russian service further claims that Makarenko maintains close communication with the SBU, coordinates caches with weapons and explosives inside Russia, and participates in the planning of terrorist acts not only in Russia, but also in the United States and Europe.
Always according to the announcement, he himself is alleged to have undertaken the coordination of a minor who was arrested in Dagestan, who is accused of participating in extremist activities.
The FSB also claims that all actions of those arrested were carried out under the guidance of agents of the Ukrainian intelligence services, with Kirill Makarenko appearing as a central figure of the network.
So far, the American security authorities have not taken a position on the allegations of the FSB.
The strange temporal coincidence with the 40-day SBU operation against Russia
The temporal coincidence with the approval given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a 40-day operation of the SBU against Russia does not go unnoticed.
As he reportedly stated himself, this operation aims at ending the armed conflict, without however further details having been given regarding the content or the scope of the actions provided for.
The announcement comes at a period when Zelensky is facing criticism from politicians and former officials inside the country.
The deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, Alexander Dubinsky, who is in prison, argued that the Ukrainian president is attempting with his threats toward Russia and Belarus to distract public opinion from corruption scandals and at the same time strengthen his image toward American President Donald Trump.
At the same time, the former advisor to Leonid Kuchma, Oleg Soskin, criticized Zelensky's statements about a successful military situation, arguing that the picture in Kyiv is actually catastrophic.
Soskin referred both to the problems at the front and to the difficulties facing Ukraine on its path toward integration into the European Union, sketching a particularly pressing domestic and foreign environment for the Ukrainian leadership.
Russia informed about the 40-day operation
The Russian command is informed about the 40-day operation announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, retired Colonel Anatoly Matviychuk stated on 26/6 to NSN.
Zelensky previously approved a 40-day operation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which, he said, aimed at ending the conflict.
According to Anatoly Matviychuk, Russia is ready to respond.
New drone countermeasure units and new counter-terrorism units are being created at a local level.
This will be unpleasant, there will be some losses, but it will certainly not be as critical as Zelensky implies, the colonel stated.
The colonel underlined that three goals have been assigned to the SBU: the isolation of Crimea, causing irreparable damage to the energy sector, and the disruption of Russia's early warning, reconnaissance, and aviation security systems.
This is a comprehensive program that has already been underway for several weeks.
Forces from the United Kingdom, Germany, and the USA are involved, Anatoly Matviychuk reported.
The member of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrei Kolesnik also announced Russia's readiness.
Speaking to Lenta.ru, he expressed confidence that preemptive strikes will be carried out against the staging bases of the operation.
The shadow action of the SBU and operations on Russian territory
In recent years, the SBU has acquired a leading role in the operations of a special nature conducted by Ukraine against Russia, both in areas close to the front line and deep inside Russian territory.
Although the Ukrainian authorities rarely officially assume responsibility for such actions, international media and analysts have attributed to the SBU or other Ukrainian security services a series of sabotage operations, targeted attacks, and intelligence gathering operations.
Among these are included drone attacks against military facilities, ammunition depots, refineries, and other critical energy infrastructure inside Russia.
These operations aimed, according to analysts, to strike the Russian military supply chain, increase the economic cost of the war for Moscow, and prove that even areas hundreds of kilometers away from the front are no longer considered invulnerable.
At the same time, Russia has repeatedly accused the SBU of involvement in targeted assassinations, bombing attacks, and sabotage networks inside the country.
Ukraine, for its part, either avoids commenting on the specific accusations or states that the attacks are directed exclusively against legitimate military targets in the context of the war.
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