An alleged middleman said to have been paid by Ukrainian special services to recruit others for acts of sabotage has been taken into custody, the Russian FSB security service reported on Thursday. He stands accused of organizing 15 attacks around the country, some of which were foiled.
The suspect was described as a resident of the western Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, and in his early 20s. The FSB released footage of officers arriving at the man’s home to arrest him.
Other parts of the video showed several arson attacks presumably filmed by the saboteurs as proof of work, as well as clips from their interrogations. In one scene, two young suspects, whose faces were blurred, can be heard confirming that they realized they were acting in Ukraine’s interest.
The FSB said five of the 15 attacks were stopped by the law enforcement. A total of 10 perpetrators have been taken into custody on related charges, the statement added. The sabotage campaign targeted “communication and transport infrastructure” – including railway equipment, judging by the arson videos.
Separately, the suspect in Kaliningrad allegedly delivered classified information to his Ukrainian handler about a local military base where he used to serve, the FSB stated. He has been charged with treason and facilitation of sabotage. Either crime can be punished by a life sentence.
Last week, Russian law enforcement agencies arrested a man accused of acting on behalf of Ukraine to derail a train in a ”terrorist act” in the western part of the country in November. Nineteen freight cars carrying mineral fertilizer were derailed in Ryazan Region, around 200km southeast of Moscow. The suspect, who has dual Russian-Italian citizenship, was also allegedly involved in a drone attack on a military airfield during the summer.