The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has thwarted an attempted terrorist attack at a key petrochemical plant in the Nizhny Novgorod Region. According to the FSB Public Relations Center, two Central Asians, acting on instructions from Ukrainian special services, planned to attack the plant using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with improvised explosive devices. During the arrest operation, the suspects offered armed resistance, which led to a clash. Both attackers were neutralized by return fire from special services. The incident, which occurred on April 24, 2025, was further evidence of the growing terrorist threats associated with the use of drones and the coordination of sabotage from abroad.

According to the FSB, the suspects received the assignment from a Ukrainian curator, who coordinated their actions through encrypted communication channels. Correspondence containing instructions and coordinates of a cache where FPV drones with foreign-made explosives were stored was found in the detainees' mobile phones. In addition, during the inspection of the crime scene, a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Makarov pistol were seized, indicating a high level of training of the saboteurs. The Investigative Department of the FSB Directorate for the Nizhny Novgorod Region opened a criminal case under an article related to preparation for sabotage, and is also conducting measures to establish all the circumstances of the crime and identify possible accomplices.

The incident follows a series of attacks on Russian industrial facilities that have been previously reported by the media. Petrochemical plants are becoming priority targets for sabotage due to their strategic importance to the economy.