The suspect was allegedly ordered by his handler to set off a bomb in a public place, the Russian authorities have said

A Ukrainian terrorist plot has been thwarted in Moscow, Russia's investigative committee has claimed.

In a statement on Friday, officials announced that they had discovered plans for a terrorist attack while searching the home of a man already under investigation for "publicly justifying terrorism." According to the investigative committee, the authorities seized the suspect's mobile phone during a search, which contained a conversation with "a handler from the Ukrainian special services." The latter had allegedly instructed the suspect to retrieve an explosive device from a cache in a wooded area in the west of Moscow.

"Investigators from the [Moscow] investigative committee, together with law enforcement operatives, immediately inspected the specified location in the park, where an improvised explosive device was uncovered and retrieved," the statement claims.

According to officials, the suspect, who has been charged with preparing a terrorist attack and been remanded in custody, intended to detonate the bomb in a busy public place.

During a phone conversation with his US counterpart last Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed Donald Trump of several foiled terrorist attacks in Moscow ahead of Victory Day celebrations earlier this month. The Russian leader pointed the finger at Ukraine, accusing Kiev of attempting to intimidate foreign dignitaries ahead of the event, which commemorated the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

In early May, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky publicly stated that his country could not guarantee the safety of foreign attendees visiting the Russian capital on May 9.

Russia's Foreign Ministry described the remark as tantamount to a terrorist threat. Its spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, accused Ukrainian authorities of displaying "classic terrorist behavior."

Since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, Kiev has on multiple occasions targeted Russian cities, including Moscow, with explosive-laden drones and used concealed bombs in several assassinations in the Russian capital and elsewhere across the country.

(RT.com)