Russian security service foils planned attacks in Crimea, detains local resident

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it has detained a 49-year-old resident of Crimea on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks and acts of sabotage allegedly on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence services.

In a statement released by its Public Relations Centre, the Federal Security Service of Russia said the suspect had been recruited in 2025 via the messaging app Telegram under the pseudonym “Khan.” According to the agency, he collected photo and video material of military units, air defence systems, fuel depots and other critical infrastructure, transmitting their coordinates to a handler, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media. 

The FSB said the man had been preparing attacks using improvised explosive devices, including a radio-controlled high-explosive fragmentation device weighing about 2 kilograms, and had assembled additional devices using foreign-supplied explosives.

Following his arrest, the suspect allegedly confessed that he had agreed to carry out the assignments in exchange for money. The FSB said he had been tasked with targeting the head of a local law enforcement agency and carrying out sabotage at gas and electricity facilities, and had conducted reconnaissance near the intended victim’s residence.

Authorities also released a statement attributed to the detainee in which he said he had been recruited by Ukrainian special services and instructed to carry out an assassination using explosives.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the allegations.

By Sabina Mammadli