‘Ukrainian agent’ caught in Russia was recovering explosive device – FSB

The suspect was allegedly recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine while visiting the country last year

A Ukrainian agent has been detained in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region while attempting to retrieve an improvised explosive device from a concealed cache, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Wednesday.

The Russian citizen, allegedly recruited by Ukraine’s secret service while on a visit to the country last year, was arrested in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, approximately 400 kilometers east of Moscow.

In a video released by the FSB, the man claimed Ukrainian agents had coerced him by threatening his family members living in Ukraine. He told investigators he had been apprehended during his fourth trip to a rural village roughly 30 kilometers west of Nizhny Novgorod, where he was instructed to retrieve equipment.

The FSB also published footage showing materials seized from the suspect, including four kits apparently intended for assembling small quadcopter drones.

The incident follows other recent arrests linked to Ukrainian intelligence activity inside Russia. On Monday, the FSB said it had apprehended a Moldovan citizen accused of conducting surveillance on a defense facility in the Ryazan Region on behalf of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the HUR.

Last week, the FSB released a video of a shootout involving a suspected Ukrainian sympathizer. According to authorities, the suspect lobbed a grenade at security officers during an attempted arrest.

READ MORE: ‘Ukrainian recruit’ killed in Siberian shootout – FSB (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

The FSB frequently reports arrests of individuals working as part of Ukrainian sabotage networks. The suspects typically operate alone, guided remotely by Ukraine’s intelligence services through encrypted messaging platforms, and use hidden drop points to exchange equipment.