Posted on 04/25/22
| News Source: i24
Putin says the Federal Security Service prevented a murder attempt on Russian TV journalist Vladimir Solovyev
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused the West of trying to destroy Russia, urging prosecutors to take a tough line with what he called plots by foreign spies to divide the country.
Speaking to Russia’s top prosecutors, Putin accused the West of inciting Ukraine to plan attacks on Russian journalists – an allegation denied by Kyiv.
Putin said the main successor to the Soviet-era KGB, the Federal Security Service (FSB), on Monday prevented a murder attempt by a “terrorist group” on Russian TV journalist Vladimir Solovyev.
"They have moved to terror – to preparing the murder of our journalists,” he said.
Russia’s leader, a former KGB spy, did not provide any evidence to support his accusations.
According to FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov, a group of six neo-nationalist Russian citizens plotted to kill Solovyev – one of Russia’s most high-profile journalists – at the behest of Ukraine’s State Security Service (SBU).
The SBU referred to such allegations as fantasies cooked up by Moscow, and said it “has no plans to assassinate V. Solovyev.”