Kiev is increasingly using unwitting suicide attackers, according to Russian officials

Ukrainian intelligence agents have killed a man they recruited to carry out a bombing in Russia after law enforcement attempted to arrest him, the Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Tuesday.

The agency identified the deceased suspect as a Russian national in his early 40s who was recruited by Ukrainian handlers to target an executive at a defense plant in Sverdlovsk Region.

According to the FSB, the suspect rented an apartment in the regional capital Ekaterinburg using a fake ID provided by Kiev and possessed two improvised explosive devices intended for the assassination.

The plot was foiled when officers confronted the man, the statement said. Ukrainian handlers realized their asset had been compromised and remotely detonated one of the bombs, killing him, the FSB said. Bomb experts later disabled the second device.

Russian officials say Ukrainian special services are increasingly designing attacks on Russian soil to ensure the perpetrator's death. Local recruits are typically drawn into plots through payment offers or coerced via financial scams. The deadly approach is meant to eliminate witnesses and reduce costs, according to the Russian authorities.

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In recent months, several Russian police patrols have been attacked by bombers who died after their handlers allegedly triggered the devices prematurely. Street-level officers are more vulnerable to surprise suicide strikes than stationary locations with enhanced security, such as FSB offices that Ukrainian agents have allegedly targeted unsuccessfully in the past.