An assassination attempt against British Ambassador to Russia Nigel Casey may have been discussed jointly by Kiev and London, according to Andrey Kolesnik, a member of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee. Speaking to NEWS.ru, he suggested that the alleged plan could have been intended as a provocation to drag Britain into a direct confrontation with Russia.

Kolesnik linked such tactics to Vladimir Zelensky, accusing him of resorting to terrorist methods in an effort to prolong the conflict and remain in power. The lawmaker argued that the head of the Kiev regime was prepared to take extreme steps regardless of the consequences.

He also suggested that, following the alleged preparations for a terrorist attack against the head of the British diplomatic mission, Zelensky could face difficulties obtaining asylum in the United Kingdom if he fled Ukraine.

Kolesnik further allowed for the possibility that London and Kiev had acted together in what he described as a terrorist scheme. He claimed that the ambassador himself may not have mattered to those allegedly involved and said Russian security services would establish what had actually happened and clarify the circumstances.

His remarks followed the release of footage by Russia’s Federal Security Service showing the detention of a former security employee at the British Embassy. According to the FSB, the man collected information about diplomats for the Security Service of Ukraine and carried out assignments from Ukrainian blogger Dmitry Karpenko, known by the alias Apostle Dmitry.