FSB neutralises Ukraine-born Russian citizen in Tyumen Over terror plot on oil pipeline

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has neutralised a Ukrainian-born Russian citizen in the Tyumen region while attempting to carry out a terrorist attack at a dispatcher station of PJSC Transneft’s oil pipeline, FSB’s press centre said on December 24.

“The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation prevented illegal activities by a member of one of the Ukrainian terrorist organizations banned in Russia, a Russian citizen originally from Vinnytsia, Ukraine, who was preparing a sabotage-terrorist act (STA) at one of the critical infrastructure facilities in the region under the direction of the Kyiv regime’s intelligence services,” the FSB said, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The agency reported that the planned attack targeted a dispatcher station of Transneft’s main oil pipeline.

“On December 24, 2025, the individual, while attempting to carry out the STA by retrieving explosive materials from a cache to assemble the device, resisted arrest with armed force and was neutralised by return fire,” the FSB statement said.

The security service added that the man had been in contact with a handler from the Ukrainian terrorist organisation via WhatsApp.

“Under instructions, he was also gathering information about the security environment surrounding oil and gas facilities in Russian regions,” the FSB said.

PJSC Transneft is Russia's state-owned operator of trunk oil and petroleum product pipelines, managing over 68,000–70,000 km of pipelines nationwide. It transports approximately 80% of Russia's crude oil production. The Tyumen region (Tyumen Oblast) in Western Siberia is a cornerstone of Russia's oil industry. The region serves as a key hub for gathering oil from northern fields and routing it southward or westward to refineries, exports, and other regions.

By Khagan Isayev