Surveillance footage of two Russian agents is being touted as proof that Moscow was involved in an attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister of Montenegro last year.
Images shows Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, allegedly both Kremlin military secret service operatives, in neighbouring Serbia in the days after the failed coup in October.
The pair are accused of planning to take over parliament, assassinate then-prime minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russian leadership to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.
Accusations: Eduard Shishmakov , left, and Vladimir Popov, right, are two Russian nationals who have been implicated in a foiled attempt to assassinate the former Prime Minister of Montenegro as part of a plot to overthrow the government
Shishmakov and Popov have been charged alongside 12 Montenegrin men, including two opposition leaders, who were arrested in February this year.
Shishmakov and Popov remain at large, as they were allowed to return to Russia despite accusations of carrying out a covert operation in Serbia, and will be tried in absentia.
They are alleged to have been behind a plan to infiltrate a rally in the capital Podgorica where Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic would be shot by men dressed in police uniforms to and make it seem like Montenegrin state security had turned on him.
This would then open up for a Moscow-aligned leader to take charge in Montenegro, once a Russian ally state.
The new images, taken in the days following the failed attempt in October 2016, were taken by an unnamed European security service, and obtained by Sky News.
‘Plotters’:Shishmakov, left, is pictured meeting Serbian agent Aleksandar Sindjelic in Belgrade at the time of the foiled assassination attempt
Deadly plans: The plot to kill then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, pictured, was meant to trigger a collapse of the government which would stop Montenegro from joining NATO
It shows Shishmakov in deep conversation with a Serbian man named Alexsandar Sindjelic, who has since confessed ‘his involvement in the attempted coup and admitted working as an agent for the two Russians’.
Another image shows Shishmakov and Popov sat on a bench together, with the latter holding what appears to be a long-lens camera.
Russia, which is strongly against NATO’s expansion in Europe, has repeatedly denied involvement in the alleged coup attempt. But it openly supported groups in Montenegro that oppose the small Balkan country joining the Western military alliance.
NATO invited Montenegro – a traditional Russian ally – to join as its 29th member in December 2015.
The U.S. Senate backed Montenegro’s accession last month, a message that the U.S. will push back against Russian efforts to increase its influence in Europe. President Donald Trump signed the ratification earlier this week.