The Russian Federal Security Service announced on Thursday the arrest of three agents affiliated with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence in Crimea.
The individuals were reportedly preparing to carry out espionage and sabotage activities on the peninsula.
According to a statement from Russian security, “In Sevastopol, a Russian citizen born in 1965, trained in the use of explosives and firearms, along with surveillance and tracking, was detained.
He is also skilled in using covert communication methods. It was discovered that he prepared an explosive device used in July 2024 to blow up a gas transmission line in the Republic of Crimea.”
The statement, reported by the Russian news agency TASS, further disclosed that another explosive device was found in his personal vehicle at the time of arrest.
In the port of Kerch, located in eastern Crimea, a Moldovan national with a criminal record, born in 1992, was arrested.
According to TASS, this individual had been in communication with Ukrainian intelligence online since April 2024, tasked with gathering and transmitting information about Russian military locations and infrastructure facilities in Crimea, as well as documenting the impacts of enemy missile strikes.
Additionally, a resident of Sevastopol, born in 1973 and holding Russian citizenship, was detained for collecting information about military sites on the Russian peninsula and the residence addresses of high-ranking Russian officers, as well as the vehicles they use.
The Russian security statement noted that the three detainees have confessed to all charges against them. The investigation continues as authorities aim to identify all collaborators connected to the arrested individuals.
Russia has accused the United States of being responsible for a Ukrainian missile attack on Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
The attack resulted in at least four deaths, including two children, and left 151 others injured.
According to Russian officials, the U.S. supplied Kyiv with the missiles used in the attack.
