The Federal Security Service has announced it foiled a sabotage attempt at a railway facility in the Chelyabinsk Region of Russia’s Urals, TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing the FSB.
“The FSB … caught three men red-handed as they were trying to disable the traction substation at a station of the South Urals Railway. A can of gasoline, a gas cylinder, a burner, and other items were seized at the crime scene,” an FSB official told the news agency.
The incident was reportedly confirmed to TASS by the regional FSB press service. The allegiance or nationality of the suspects, however, was not immediately known. They have been placed in pre-trial custody for two months under a court order.
In recent weeks, the FSB has made several announcements of foiled terrorist and saboteur attacks, allegedly staged on behalf of Ukraine. In late December, two Russian nationals were killed by FSB operatives in the country’s south. The suspects were allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Russia before seeking to travel to Ukraine to fight against the Russian military.
Shortly before the incident, the FSB said it had intercepted a group of Ukrainian saboteurs trying to cross into Russia. Four suspects, carrying assorted weapons and explosives, were killed by officers in a firefight.