Putin accuses Ukraine of plot to assassinate Russian TV journalist with car bomb

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser thatsupports HTML5video

Vladimir Putin says a pro-Ukrainian cell was planning to assassinate a leading Kremlin propagandist using a car bomb.

The Russian president claimed the intelligence services had uncovered a plot to kill Vladimir Solovyev, one of the most recognisable pro-government TV spokespeople in the country.

He said a neo-Nazi group had been recruited to carry out the attack in Moscow.

Mr Putin accused Western intelligence agencies of supporting it but offered no further evidence about the plot.

The Interfax news agency said that members of a ‘nationalist’ group had been detained by Russian authorities and were acting on the orders of ‘Ukrainian spies’.

It reported a government spokesperson as saying six people from a banned group called National Socialism/White Power had been detained and a store of weapons, including explosives, was uncovered and seized.

Ukrainian officials have not responded to the comments.

The Russian leader has previously made non-credible claims about pro-Kyiv operatives and may be attempting to fabricate ties between Ukraine and neo-Nazi groups.

Mr Putin has used ‘de-Nazification’ as a way to justify the war at home, touting false claims about the Ukrainian government.

Mr Putin was quoted as saying: ‘This morning, the Federal Security Service stopped the activities of a terrorist group that planned to attack and kill one famous Russian TV journalist.

‘They have moved to terror – to preparing the murder of our journalists.’

He accused Western governments of attempting to divide Russia, singling out the US Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr Solovyev is a well-known presenter on Russia 1, a TV station with close Kremlin ties that has pushed the Kremlin line on the Ukraine war into millions of homes.

In a rare break with the government and military, he was strongly critical of the Russian navy after the sinking of the Moskva in the Black Sea earlier this month.

He has been sanctioned by the European Union for his public support for the invasion.

Two villas overlooking Lake Como owned by Mr Solovyev have been targeted by anti-war protesters.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article