In brief: The FSB said on Thursday it detained four individuals, one a foreign national, in the Republic of Adygea, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the Omsk Region. It accused them of working for Ukrainian intelligence and said it had recovered an IED and a grenade in Donetsk.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) public relations center reported on Thursday that it had detained four suspected Ukrainian agents in three separate incidents.
It said that the arrests, in the Republic of Adygea, the Omsk Region, and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) in eastern Ukraine, had “foiled subversive and terrorist activities by agents of Ukrainian intelligence agencies.”
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“As a result of operations conducted in Maykop, Donetsk and Omsk, three Russian citizens and a foreign national were detained,” it continued.
The FSB claimed the accused were spying on Russian military and energy facilities. It did not provide any further details about the foreigner or the Ukrainian agency involved.
“Acting on instructions from their Ukrainian handlers, they were collecting information about Russian service members participating in the special military operation, as well as about defense industry enterprises and energy facilities, with the aim of carrying out acts of terrorism and sabotage,” the statement says.
According to the FSB, the Russian suspects had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services via social media, with their activities directed by their handlers via the Telegram messaging service.
They were also used to circulate online calls for others to carry out “terrorist” activity. It was alleged that they were promised large sums of cash and relocation to an EU country in exchange for their cooperation.
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It said that during the arrest in Donetsk, a “ready-to-use” improvised explosive device (IED) and a live hand grenade were recovered.
Ongoing investigations are reportedly being conducted by Russian regional authorities, with criminal charges ranging from conspiracy to commit and incite terrorist attacks, knowingly assisting enemy activities directed against national security, high treason, to preparation of acts of sabotage and illegal possession of explosive devices.
The FSB said the accused could face life imprisonment if convicted.
Reported confessions
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, the arrested individuals had been filmed by the arresting FSB officers confessing to their guilt.
The man detained in Adygea said he had been offered money to film five facilities, identified by his Ukrainian handler, which he did, but said he had refused to carry out an arson attack on a steam locomotive.
The man arrested in the Omsk Region said that he had photographed and provided map coordinates for critical fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in Omsk.
The suspect in the DNR said he had contacted Ukrainian intelligence because he was short of money. He admitted that he had assembled the IED that was recovered during his arrest, which he said was intended to blow up a military vehicle.
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