Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has accused the United States and the United Kingdom of plotting 'terrorist attacks' on Russian bases in Syria to remove its forces from the country.
In a statement released on Saturday, the intelligence agency accused the UK's MI6 and US CIA are directing commanders of the Islamic State to carry out the attacks using drones.
It gave no evidence for this conspiracy theory however.
"British intelligence services are developing plans to organise a series of terrorist attacks on Russian military facilities in Syria," the statement reads, reported by the state-run RIA news agency.
"The role of perpetrators is assigned to militants of the terrorist group ISIS, released from prison by the 'new authorities' in recent times."
SVR claimed that IS received "attack drones" for this purpose, and to hide their involvement, the Western nations strike IS positions, warning them about the hits in advance.
The intelligence agency claimed the US and UK seek to dominate the region but are currently hampered by Russia's military presence on the Mediterranean coast of Syria.
Russia, a key ally of the now-fallen Assad regime, has two military bases in Syria, the Tartus Naval Base and the Hemeimim Air Base, and they are considered among the Kremlin's most strategically important military outposts.
However, the future of the bases is in doubt following the rebel takeover of Syria earlier this month, although Moscow hopes to keep them.
Russian intervention in Syria, beginning in 2015, was crucial to the Assad regime's survival but in recent years Russia has focused on its war in Ukraine and it did not intervene decisively during the rebel advance which ended up overthrowing Bashar al-Assad.
Russia has since pulled back its military from frontline positions in northern Syria, while maintaining its presence at the bases.
Forces loyal to the new Syrian administration are carrying out a combing operation focused on the Syrian coast against armed Assad loyalists, and on Saturday surrounded the two bases with checkpoints.