A Moscow court charged seven people for planning to kill two Russian journalists. The court believes their actions were driven by national hatred.
The court approved detention until Sept. 14 for five minors and two men on charges of “hooliganism.”
On Friday, Russia’s FSB security service arrested individuals for conducting surveillance near the residences and workplaces of journalists Margarita Simonyan and Ksenia Sobchak.
Ukraine has not commented on the matter. They have previously denied any involvement in assassinations of pro-war figures in Russia.
The FSB has reported that detainees confessed to planning attacks on two women for Ukraine, with a promised reward of 1.5 million roubles ($16,620) for each attack.
Margarita Simonyan, the head of state media outlet RT, recently shared a message on Telegram encouraging security services to continue their work. Simonyan is known for supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Sobchak, a renowned journalist and TV host, ran for president in 2018.
Prominent pro-war Russian figures, journalist Darya Dugina and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, were killed in bomb attacks in Russia. Russia has accused Ukraine of being responsible for the killings, but Kyiv has denied these claims. Instead, Kyiv has suggested that the killings are a result of internal conflicts within Russia.
Russian nationalist writer Zakhar Prilepin was injured in a car bombing in May, which also claimed the life of his driver. A suspect was detained and admitted acting on behalf of Ukraine, according to investigators.