Russian Officer Targeted in Sophisticated Ukrainian Intelligence Poisoning Plot Using AI-Generated Romance Scheme

Russia's Federal Security Service has revealed that it uncovered an assassination plot targeting a high-ranking Russian Defense Ministry officer, which was orchestrated through an elaborate online deception scheme.

According to FSB statements, the officer was the target of a sophisticated poisoning attempt that was disguised as a gift from an online romantic interest. The plot involved poisoned beer bottles that investigators claim contained a British-manufactured version of the deadly VX nerve agent, capable of causing death within 20 minutes of consumption.

The targeted officer described to Russian media outlets how he had developed what he believed to be a genuine relationship with a woman named Polina through an online application. Their communications later moved to Telegram, where she regularly shared personal photos and videos, seemingly building trust over several months.

"She would send me gym photos and videos periodically, all similar in nature. After we had been communicating for several months, she mentioned wanting to send me a gift through an acquaintance of hers," the officer explained in his statement to Russian media.

This "acquaintance" was later arrested by the FSB. According to Russian security officials, the man was operating under instructions from Ukraine's GUR (military intelligence service) and had been promised a payment of $5,000 for delivering two packages containing British beer to the officer.

The FSB investigation revealed that "Polina" never existed as a real person. Instead, she was an artificial intelligence-generated persona created by Ukrainian intelligence operatives specifically to cultivate a relationship with the officer and set up the poisoning attempt.

"Laboratory analysis of the confiscated bottles confirmed that the beer contained a lethal mixture of highly toxic substances, including colchicine and tert-butyl bicyclophosphate, a variant of the military-grade VX nerve agent prohibited under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention. This British-produced poison would cause excruciating death within 20 minutes of ingestion," the FSB stated in their report.

The delivery was intercepted when the courier met with the officer to hand over the package. FSB agents immediately intervened and detained the suspect.

"Security personnel instructed me to carefully place the package on the ground. They then informed me that the bag contained beer laced with a military-grade poison intended to kill me, and that the Polina account had been operated by Ukrainian intelligence officers," the officer recounted.