FSB Detains Russian Citizen for Alleged Sabotage Plot in Crimea

FSB officers have detained a 49-year-old Russian citizen for planning attacks on a senior law enforcement official and sabotage on gas and power infrastructure in Crimea, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported.

FSB officers detained a Russian man, born in 1977, who plotted terrorist attacks in Crimea using improvised explosive devices under the direction of Ukraine’s special services. According to the FSB, he was tasked to carry out subversive and terrorist attacks on gas and power facilities, as well as against a high-ranking law enforcement officer in the region. As instructed by his handler, he planned to flee Russia after completing his mission.

The Crimean resident was recruited in 2025 via Telegram. Following orders from his handler, he photographed and filmed defense positions, air defense systems, fuel and lubricant storage facilities, and other critical infrastructure across Crimea, sharing coordinates with the enemy.

In a video released by the FSB, the man confessed to planning attacks on the head of a law enforcement agency and sabotage on gas and power facilities under assignment from Ukrainian special services. According to the detainee, he was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence under the alias Khan. The man stated his handler shared the location of a cache containing two sets of explosives with him. FSB officers detained him as he attempted to reach the hideout.

He explained that he had agreed to work for Kiev in exchange for money. A ready-to-use, 2 kg radio-controlled improvised explosive device, along with foreign-made explosives and kits to assemble two additional bombs, were seized from him. The FSB’s investigative department in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol has launched criminal proceedings against him. A court ordered the man to be placed in custody.