On July 14, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia made a sensational announcement regarding the prevention of a major sabotage operation. According to the agency, the organization of a drone attack on a defense enterprise in the Moscow region was allegedly orchestrated by the well-known Ukrainian rapper, videoblogger, and actor Albert Vasilyev, better known to the public by the pseudonym Kievstoner.
The Security Services' Version: Sabotage on the Threshold
According to official FSB information, Vasilyev, who is currently in Europe, allegedly led a group of accomplices preparing an attack on the factory. Russian law enforcement officials claim that the attack was thwarted at the preparatory stage. According to the investigation, the saboteurs' plans included the use of 35 FPV drones equipped with foreign explosives and resistant to electronic warfare systems.
The drones, it is reported, were stored in a rented hangar located in close proximity to the target. The FSB confirmed the detention of the direct executor, who was engaged in the assembly and activation of the unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as establishing communication channels with operators abroad. During the attempted arrest, the tenant of the warehouse where the equipment was stored offered armed resistance and was killed.
The agency's statement explicitly states: "It has been established that the organization of the terrorist act and the management of accomplices under the patronage of the SBU involved Albert Viktorovich Vasilyev, born in 1991, a citizen of Ukraine and the USA, a videoblogger, rapper, and film actor using the pseudonym 'Kievstoner'." Furthermore, the Russian side has accused the artist of distributing narcotic substances.
Reaction of the Artist and the Public
Albert Vasilyev himself was taken by surprise. The rapper published a reaction to the accusation on his social media, expressing surprise at such "attention" from Russian security services and categorically rejecting all claims. His response was accompanied by profanity, which is a rare occurrence for the artist's public statements.
Ukrainian public activist Serhiy Sternenko reacted to the FSB's statement with irony, calling the Kremlin's version absurd. In his post, he wrote: "Kievstoner turned out to be a deeply undercover agent of Ukrainian security services and was planning to blow up the Moscow region. No joke. Our little elephant. That's why he was asking me about drones on Instagram".
Premises and Context
Relations between Vasilyev and the Ukrainian activist community have not always been smooth. Even before the start of the full-scale invasion, in September 2021, Sternenko accused the rapper of working for Russian propaganda. The reason was a video where the artist chanted "Russia!" in front of an audience. Kievstoner himself then rejected accusations of a pro-Russian stance, stating his support for Ukraine and expressing hostility towards the Russian leadership.
For a long time, Vasilyev worked in Russia, including hosting the popular talk show GazLive on YouTube together with the performer Basta. In 2021, his entry into the country was unofficially closed, after which he continued filming the show remotely. Currently, the rapper resides in Spain and Slovakia.
Information Background
Experts note that Russia has repeatedly tried to shift responsibility for its own military actions onto Ukraine. As an example, the disinformation campaign of January 2026 is cited, when propagandists accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of crimes in Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, although the destruction of the city was the result of assaults by the Russian army. Also, in July 2026, a Ukrainian citizen was charged in Germany with involvement in the sabotage of the "Nord Stream" gas pipelines.
