FSB Broadens Military and Covert Reach Amid Ongoing Conflict

Since spring 2023, “mobile fire groups”—civilian-style SUVs or trucks with heavy machine guns and three-person crews—have appeared in the Leningrad region, Karelia, North Ossetia, Siberia, Archangel, Donetsk, Krasnodar and other areas to shoot down Ukrainian drones. In early July, Gazprom contracted the Ministry of Defence to create mobile fire teams for patrolling gas-supply facilities, and regional governors have urged private firms to form similar groups under local FSB oversight.

Center for European Policy AnalysisRussian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB FSB informants were coordinating the attacks: the SBU has detained four people The FSB ordered the murder of rapper "Kyivstoner" in Poland - media FSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories SBU exposes two FSB agents who helped target strikes on Dnipro

On August 11, FSB director Alexander Bortnikov called for a “comprehensive approach” to counter-drone defence, hinting that the agency may centralise these efforts. Draft agency orders obtained by *Agentstvo* propose abolishing special border zones in Rostov and Voronezh and redefining the status of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Crimea, effectively integrating them into Russia’s internal border system.

FSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories

Ukrainian counter-intelligence reported the detention of a mother and brother of a previously exposed Russian FSB operative. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) says they tracked defence-industry facilities in Dnipro, marking sites on Google Maps and relaying strike data to Russian forces. They face life imprisonment under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.

Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB

In Poland, police arrested a Russian national on August 13 while allegedly preparing to assassinate Ukrainian rapper-blogger Albert Vasilyev (“Kyivstoner”). Polish authorities, working with the Internal Security Agency (ABW), linked the plot to an FSB accusation that Vasilyev managed a drone-smuggling network targeting a Moscow-region defence enterprise. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it the first known Russian-directed attack on a U.S. citizen on NATO soil and warned of further hybrid-war attempts.

Russian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw The FSB ordered the murder of rapper "Kyivstoner" in Poland - media FSB informants were coordinating the attacks: the SBU has detained four people Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB SBU exposes two FSB agents who helped target strikes on Dnipro Center for European Policy AnalysisFSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories

Russia fields a 2.4-million-strong Armed Forces and the National Guard (Rosgvardia), which maintains its own anti-drone units and enterprise protection. Analysts note the FSB’s activities duplicate these capabilities, creating parallel special-forces units, an air wing, and a nationwide prison-transfer system. The expansion appears to rely on President Vladimir Putin’s personal trust, allowing the FSB to assume roles traditionally held by the military and interior-security structures.

Center for European Policy AnalysisRussian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB FSB informants were coordinating the attacks: the SBU has detained four people The FSB ordered the murder of rapper "Kyivstoner" in Poland - media SBU exposes two FSB agents who helped target strikes on Dnipro FSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories

• Mobile fire groups reported in at least eight regions by July 2023.

Center for European Policy Analysis

• August 11: Bortnikov’s call for a unified drone-defence system.

Center for European Policy Analysis

• August 13: Polish detention of a Russian hit-man linked to an FSB-originated plot.

Russian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw

• Two relatives of an FSB operative detained in Dnipro (SBU).

SBU exposes two FSB agents who helped target strikes on Dnipro

• Four informants detained across Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Kirovohrad for transmitting geolocation data to the FSB.

Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB

• The SBU press centre announced the arrests, describing the activities as high-treason.

SBU exposes two FSB agents who helped target strikes on Dnipro

• Donald Tusk warned that the Warsaw plot illustrates a broader Russian hybrid campaign against Western nations supporting Ukraine.

Russian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw

• The draft border-zone orders remain proposals; implementation timing is unclear.

FSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories

• Polish and Ukrainian authorities attribute the plot and network to the FSB, but independent verification of direct command structures is lacking.

Russian Mercenary Targets Ukrainian Artist in Warsaw

• Russian lawmakers must approve the proposed border-zone reforms.

FSB moves to abolish border zones between Russia and annexed Ukrainian territories

• Ukrainian counter-intelligence will continue pursuing members of the FSB-linked spy rings, while Polish security services maintain heightened vigilance against similar plots on NATO soil.

Four agents were detained for passing data on military facilities in three regions of Ukraine to the FSB

• The FSB is expected to further integrate its drone-defence initiatives, potentially expanding the mobile fire-group model to additional regions.

Center for European Policy Analysis