Moscow says foiled bid to kill head of Crimea

Russia's FSB security service has thwarted an attack on the Moscow-installed head of the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and arrested a suspect, Russian news agencies reported on Monday.

"An assassination attempt organised by Ukraine's special services targeting the head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, was foiled," Russian state-run agency TASS reported, citing an FSB statement.

The FSB said in their statement that the detained individual was "a Russian national born in 1988 who had been recruited by officers of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU)".


It added that the suspect was detained while "removing the explosive device from its hiding place".

Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a referendum widely regarded as a sham by Kyiv and Western countries.

The peninsula has been regularly targeted by strikes and attacks targeting Russian-installed officials over recent months that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.