Woman brings icon containing explosive device to Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Crimea

According to reports from TASS, citing the Public Relations Center of the FSB of Russia, officials apprehended a woman, a resident of the Volgograd region, who had delivered a powerful explosive—embedded within a religious icon—into the Crimean branch of the FSB.

The authorities revealed that the incident was part of a thwarted terrorist act orchestrated by Ukrainian security services against FSB personnel in Crimea. The 54-year-old woman was reportedly manipulated by Ukrainian special services via the Telegram messenger, driven by an intent to recover funds stolen through phone scams.

Following instructions from her Ukrainian handler, she traveled to Crimea, where she received a courier carrying the Orthodox icon, into which a homemade improvised explosive device (IED) with a power equivalent to one kilogram of TNT had been clandestinely installed. The device contained foreign-made plastic explosive and a triggering mechanism activated by a coded signal.

During inspection, the IED was discovered and safely neutralized. The bomb's detonation mechanism could have resulted in fatalities among FSB personnel and the woman herself—who was instructed to personally send the trigger code to activate the explosive.

Further investigations uncovered that in May 2025, a representative of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) contacted the woman, falsely claiming to be an FSB investigator. The caller alleged that a Ukrainian citizen, listed as a terrorist and acting under a power of attorney provided by the woman herself, had taken a loan in her name and transferred funds to support Ukrainian armed forces. To avoid criminal liability, the woman secured several loans exceeding three million rubles against her property, which she then transferred to the criminals using their provided banking details.

The Investigative Department of the FSB in Crimea and Sevastopol has initiated criminal proceedings under articles concerning attempted terrorist activity and illegal possession of explosive devices.

The FSB issued a stern warning: security personnel, law enforcement, government officials, and banks never make calls or send messages demanding money transfers to "safe" accounts or instructing couriers or others to deliver funds. Citizens are urged to remain vigilant, especially avoiding communication with unknown contacts via Telegram and WhatsApp to prevent falling victim to such provocations.