Russian media claims SBU planned to kill propagandists Simonyan and Sobchak
Russian media outlets have reported an alleged assassination plot against Kremlin propagandists Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak, which they claim was orchestrated by Ukraine’s SBU security service.
These claims, cited by Russian media and attributed to the country’s FSB Federal Security Service, are not supported by any evidence, however.
The Russian intelligence agency’s announcement about the alleged plot suggests that it was devised by individuals affiliated with the neo-Nazi group Paragraph-88, allegedly acting on orders from the SBU. These supposed perpetrators were reportedly apprehended in Moscow and Ryazan Oblast.
Kremlin propaganda typically says neo-Nazi groups are involved with the Ukrainian state when making such claims.
According to the FSB statement, the detained neo-Nazis confirmed their involvement in planning the attacks, claiming that the SBU had offered a reward of 1.5 million rubles for each killing.
Simonyan, the chief editor of the Russian RT worldwide network and a prominent propagandist, responded to the alleged “assassination” attempt by stating, “We keep working, brothers.”
It’s not the first time the Kremlin has alleged that Ukraine has tried to kill Russian propagandists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on April 25, 2022, that the FSB had foiled an assassination attempt against “one of the well-known domestic TV journalists.” However, this initial statement referred to propagandist Vladimir Solovyov, not Simonyan.
Subsequently, the propagandists further announced that the apprehended individuals were also discussing the possibility of targeting Dmitry Kiselyov, the CEO of RIA Novosti, as well as Simonyan and other propagandists.
In response, the SBU dismissed the information provided by the FSB, stating that they had no plans to harm Solovyov.
The SBU also expressed its reluctance to engage seriously with the “new fantasies” concocted by Russian intelligence services, whom it said were continuing “to fabricate stories to cater to their domestic audience.”
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
