Putin’s Henchmen Caught Desperately Scheming to Prop Him Up

Key Points:

• Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the FSB has reported an unprecedented number of thwarted Ukraine-orchestrated terrorist attacks, with 78 alleged plots disrupted this year alone, raising skepticism about the authenticity of these claims.
• Critics and legal experts suggest the FSB fabricates or inflates terror threats to maintain its indispensability to Putin, sometimes even recruiting Russians under false pretenses to boost arrest statistics.
• The FSB has increasingly shifted focus from external threats to controlling domestic politics, using terrorism charges to silence dissent, with over 21,000 people labeled as terrorists or extremists this year, including prominent figures like Pavel Durov.
• Recent high-profile attacks, including a deadly bombing targeting a Russian military commander in Moscow, highlight both the ongoing security challenges and the Kremlin’s reluctance to acknowledge FSB failures publicly.
• Amid these tensions, former FBI official Kash Patel is reportedly planning a visit to Moscow to meet with the FSB, sparking speculation about the meeting’s intent, potentially involving investigations into communications between the Biden administration and Ukraine.