In Russia, officials covered up a planned assassination attempt on an FSB official by framing it as a "gas cylinder explosion"
An explosion in central Moscow in August 2025, officially attributed to a "helium tank leak," may in fact have been a planned assassination attempt on a high-ranking official.
This is reported by Russian sources, which have released a video of the incident.
The individual in question is General Alexei Titov, deputy head of the FSB’s Fifth Directorate. According to published reports, the explosion occurred in the Central Children’s Store building on Lubyanka on August 24, 2025.
The video shows Titov walking alongside a woman carrying a bag, after which the explosion occurs. It is reported that this woman was Elena Barisheva—the widow of FSB Colonel Dmitry Barishev, who previously served under Titov’s command.
As a result of the explosion, the woman died at the scene, while the general himself suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized in a coma.
Earlier, Russian authorities stated that the incident was caused by a “technical malfunction” of the equipment, specifically the explosion of a helium cylinder used for balloons. According to official reports, three people were injured at the time.
However, according to sources, after the incident, Russian agencies began deleting videos and altering information about the event. In particular, footage from inside the building showing the aftermath of the explosion disappeared from public access, and the wording in media reports was changed from “explosion” to “incident.”
According to unofficial reports, Elena Barisheva had previously complained to acquaintances about the FSB leadership’s treatment of her family, which may point to possible motives behind the incident.
There is currently no official confirmation of the theory that Russian security forces deliberately carried out the explosion.
Prior to this, the Russian special service FSB released a statement about the alleged foiling of a terrorist attack targeting a high-ranking official of one of Russia’s law enforcement agencies.
As a reminder, in Crimea, the FSB detained a man for supporting Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes on fuel infrastructure.
Since the beginning of the year, Russian occupation forces have significantly increased their use of the “Bastion” coastal missile system to strike mainland Ukraine.
As a reminder, on the night of March 24, the Ukrainian Armed Forces struck a Russian “Bastion” coastal missile system launcher.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also struck Russian military facilities.
