MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it has prevented a Ukrainian assassination attempt targeting a senior executive at a defense company in the Moscow Region.

"A terrorist attack planned by Ukrainian special services against a top manager of a Russian defense company supplying products to the Russian Defense Ministry has been thwarted in the Moscow Region," the FSB said. The operation led to the arrest of seven Russian citizens, including three minors, who are residents of the Moscow, Sverdlovsk, and Perm regions.

The attackers’ activities were coordinated by Ukrainian special service agents through foreign internet messengers, as evidenced by data retrieved from seized communication devices, the FSB added.

Prior to this, the detainees were involved in assisting a Ukrainian call center scheme. "The suspects had previously participated in setting up and maintaining equipment for secret communication channels, sending mass fake terrorist threats, and executing fraudulent telephone schemes to extort money and illegally cash it out," the FSB revealed.

"The members of the criminal network are currently cooperating with investigators and making confessions," the FSB emphasized. A criminal investigation has been initiated.