---
title: "FSB arrests Moldovan in alleged plot to kill Russian general"
url: https://radiomoldova.md/p/84651/fsb-arrests-moldovan-in-alleged-plot-to-kill-russian-general
published: 2026-09-08T12:53:17Z
language: en
author: "Nicoleta Borodin"
section: "Social"
source: radiomoldova.md
---

# FSB arrests Moldovan in alleged plot to kill Russian general

> Russia's Federal Security Service arrested a Moldovan citizen for allegedly plotting to assassinate a high-ranking Russian general on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow's domestic security agency announced on Tuesday.

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/c83503db-82e0-4fc9-b18d-3b781f40e156.jpg)

Russia's Federal Security Service arrested a Moldovan citizen for allegedly plotting to assassinate a high-ranking Russian general on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow's domestic security agency announced on Tuesday.

**Alleged recruitment and firearms training**

The FSB identified the detained individual as Nicolae Cociu, born in 2004, claiming he completed weapons and explosives training at a military firing range in Kyiv in early 2026. Russian security officials alleged that Cociu agreed to carry out a targeted killing against a senior military officer in the Saratov region in exchange for a promised $70,000 reward (approx. 1.2 million MDL). 

Video footage broadcast by Russian state media showed a man with his face obscured being escorted by armed officers in camouflage gear, alongside close-up imagery of a Moldovan identity card bearing Cociu's name.

*“I am a citizen of the Republic of Moldova. I saw a job advertisement on Instagram, left my contact details, and accepted their cooperation offer,”* the suspect said in an interrogation recording released by the FSB. *“I trained at a firing range in Kyiv, where I was taught how to shoot and handle explosives, and was sent to Russia to eliminate a Russian general.”*

The man added that he entered Russia via Estonia after receiving operational coordinates over Discord, where he retrieved a concealed cache containing a Makarov (PM) pistol with two ammunition magazines.

**Chisinau verifies information through embassy in Moscow**

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation intends to formally request the suspect's pre-trial detention on attempted assassination charges. Russian authorities disclosed no additional specifics regarding the target's identity.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) is actively coordinating with the Moldovan Embassy in Moscow to establish the facts, MFA spokesperson Tatiana Barac told national public broadcaster Teleradio-Moldova. 

The arrest follows a recurring pattern in recent years in which the FSB has detained Moldovan nationals on charges of espionage and sabotage allegedly linked to Moldovan or Ukrainian intelligence. In June 2025, two Moldovan citizens were arrested in Moscow after Russian counterintelligence accused them of operating as undercover agents for Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service (SIS).

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/cff97d1f-39bb-423c-89ff-d6c55e66d387.jpg)

![](https://storage.radiomoldova.md/images/6a5cc1f8-9061-480d-aac4-1e61e6c8285e.jpg)

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