IED event in Russian Federation on Fri 20th February 2026

The FSB reported the prevention of a terrorist attack at the Stavropol branch of the "Defenders of the Fatherland" foundation. A man who was planning an explosion on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence agencies was killed in a shootout. The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in Stavropol "stopped the illegal activity of a Russian citizen, a member of one of the Ukrainian terrorist organizations banned in the Russian Federation."

According to the intelligence agency, the suspect was planning a terrorist attack at the Stavropol branch of the "Defenders of the Fatherland" state foundation and the adjacent "Skvern Memory of Those Killed in the Line of Military Duty" building. To this end, the attacker targeted the administrative building of the Stavropol branch of the state fund for supporting participants in the special military operation "Defenders of the Fatherland" and the nearby "Memorial Square for Those Killed in the Line of Military Duty."

"Having received instructions from his handlers on how to manufacture an improvised explosive device (IED), he purchased the components and stashed them in a pre-prepared cache. On February 19, 2026, he began implementing his criminal plan to prepare a terrorist attack, attempting to retrieve terrorist weapons from the cache for the final assembly of the IED. Upon his arrest, he offered armed resistance using firearms," according to a statement from the FSB Public Relations Center. The man was killed by return fire, and fortunately, no one among the security forces or civilians was injured.

The Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for Stavropol Krai has opened a criminal case under Part 1 of Article 30, Subparagraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 205 (preparation for a terrorist act) of the Russian Criminal Code. As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a Kislovodsk resident, born in 1982, was suspected in the case of preparing a terrorist attack in Stavropol. He offered armed resistance to FSB special forces officers and was killed by return fire, as reported by the FSB on January 20.

According to the agency, a Makarov pistol, an F-1 hand grenade, and a backpack containing an improvised explosive device were found at the scene.