Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again thanked the United States for sharing intelligence that helped to thwart a terrorist attack in St. Petersburg in late 2019.
“Of course, we are grateful to our partners for such support, for professional solidarity in the fight against the common threat. We certainly will reciprocate”, Putin assured.
In late December, the Kremlin stated that Putin had called his US counterpart Donald Trump to express his gratitude for sharing information via special services that helped to avert terrorist attacks in Russia.
Likewise, POTUS hailed "a great and important coordination" with Moscow that helped to foil terrorist attacks in St. Petersburg.
President Putin of Russia called to thank me and the U.S. for informing them of a planned terrorist attack in the very beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. They were able to quickly apprehend the suspects, with many lives being saved. Great & important coordination!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019
On 29 December, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had detained two Russian citizens for plotting an attack in crowded places in St. Petersburg during the New Year's Eve celebrations.
"The investigating bodies of the Federal Security Service have opened a criminal case under article 30 [crime preparation], article 205 [terrorism] and article 205.1 [participation in terrorist organisations' activities]. The necessary investigative and operational-search measures are underway", the FSB added at the time.