Russia's FSB security services said Thursday they had shot dead a Belarusian dissident who planned to blow up an office building on behalf of Ukraine.
Since launching its assault on Ukraine two years ago, Russia says it has been targeted by hundreds of sabotage attacks, many on civilian infrastructure.
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The suspect allegedly belonged to the Kalinouski Regiment, a Belarusian volunteer unit of the Ukrainian army, the FSB said in a statement.
It said he planned to use an improvised explosive device to "blow up an administrative building in the town of Olonets" in Russia's northern Karelia region.
"When apprehended, the perpetrator opened fire at the security services with a weapon and was neutralised," it added.
The FSB shared a video showing its officers closing in on a snow-covered barn in a rural area. Gunshots are then heard, before the suspect's body is shown splayed out on the floor.
Russia has detained dozens of people on suspicion of sabotage, including last month when a Belarusian man was accused of setting fire to railway equipment.
Kyiv does not typically claim responsibility for sabotage attacks inside Russia but often cheers them on, arguing they are fair retaliation for strikes on Ukraine.
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