FSB detains two Russian nationals in Crimea for alleged collaboration with Ukraine

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Federal Security Service (FSB) officers have detained in Crimea two Russian nationals who shared data about Russian defense ministry facilities in the peninsula with Ukraine and scouted locations for hiding explosives for use in terror attacks, the FSB press service said.

TASS has summed up what is known at this moment.

Working for Kiev

Unlawful activities of Russian nationals born in 1968 and 1974, who collaborated with Ukrainian special services, were foiled in Crimea, the press service said.

According to the FSB, two Crimean residents were recruited by officers of the Ukrainian army’s special operations force via a popular messenger.

On instructions from one of the officers, they shared data on the location of the Russian foreign ministry’s facilities and movements of military vehicles in the region with the enemy.

They also disseminated pro-Ukrainian nationalist materials on the internet.

Apart from that, they packed caches with makeshift explosive devices to be used to stage terror attacks.

Searches and interrogation

Search operations yielded four makeshift explosive devices stuffed with more than five kilograms of foreign-made explosive substances and a phone containing correspondence with their overseer.

The detainees confessed, as seen in a video released by the FSB.

The detained are a man and a woman.

The woman confessed to taking photos of military vehicles and tracing caches with explosives at the instruction of an officer of Ukrainian special service.

She also photographed drawings with anti-Russian slogans on the backdrop of the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Yevpatoria.

The FSB also released her Ukrainian-language correspondence with the overseer.

The man also confessed to collaborating with a representative of Ukrainian special services.

At his instruction, he traced caches, explosives.

Apart from that, the man took photos of himself holding a notepad containing a drawing with anti-Russian slogans near tourist sites in Yevpatoria.

Criminal case and measures of restriction

Criminal cases were opened against the detainees under article 275 (high treason) and part 3, article 222.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (illegal trafficking of explosive substances and explosive devices).

A court ruled to place them under arrest for two months, the press service of the FSB department for Crimea and Sevastopol told TASS.