Russia's FSB prevents attempted assassination of Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak

Russia's Federal Security Service has prevented the assassination of RT TV channel editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and journalist Ksenia Sobchak, which were prepared by members of the neo-Nazi group Paragraph-88 on the assignment of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), TASS reported citing the FSB's Public Relations Center (PRC).

"The Federal Security Service, together with the Investigative Committee and the Russian Interior Ministry, has prevented the preparation by Ukrainian special services of the assassination of Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the RT TV channel and the Russia Today International News Agency." According to available information, the assassination of Kseniya Sobchak was also being prepared," the CJC said.

The FSB said that on July 14, members of the neo-Nazi group "Paragraph-88" were detained in Moscow and Ryazan region, who carried out reconnaissance at the job and residence addresses of the targets. "In the course of investigative actions they confirmed the preparation of assassination attempts on the assignment of the SBU for a reward of 1.5 million rubles for each murder," the FSB said.

During the investigative actions from the detainees seized a Kalashnikov assault rifle, 90 cartridges for it, knives, brass knuckles, rubber truncheons, handcuffs, chevrons and flags with Nazi symbols, Nazi literature, as well as means of communication and computers with information confirming their criminal intentions.