Russia’s RIA state news agency aired a video on Friday in which a Russian man claimed he had detonated a car bomb in Moscow earlier this week at the direction of the SBU Ukrainian security service.
On Wednesday, the Kommersant newspaper reported that a car bomb had injured an officer from Russia’s military intelligence agency in northern Moscow, although other media sources suggested the injured individual was a regular military officer. Russia’s interior ministry confirmed that two people had been injured in the blast and that a criminal case had been initiated. CCTV footage showed a Toyota Land Cruiser parked outside what appeared to be a residential complex exploding into a fireball.
Turkish authorities announced on Wednesday that they had arrested a Russian citizen suspected of the attack in Bodrum after he had flown in from Moscow. On Friday, Russia’s FSB security service identified the man as Yevgeny Serebyrakov, stating he had been extradited from Turkey and handed over to investigators.
In the video released by RIA, Serebyrakov, who was shown handcuffed, claimed he had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence last year and instructed to assassinate a Russian officer. He detailed how he had assembled a homemade bomb at his handler’s request and placed it beneath the officer’s vehicle. Serebyrakov said he had been promised Ukrainian citizenship and a reward of $10,000-20,000 for his efforts. The video had been edited in places to remove certain references.
Melissa Enoch
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