On the first day of the Russian presidential election which should see Vladimir Putin triumph, the special services announced Friday the arrests of three people accused, in separate cases, of having prepared acts of sabotage for the benefit of Ukraine.
Arrested in Moscow, the first suspect, prosecuted for “high treason” – a crime punishable by life imprisonment -, “assembled and launched drones to create false targets in the immediate vicinity of the sites of the Russian Ministry of Defense” and thus disrupt air defense, said the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation).
This arrest occurs in the midst of an increase in drone attacks, attributed to Ukraine, against infrastructure in Russia.
According to investigators, he “established on his own initiative” contact with Ukrainian “paramilitaries” then “he was tasked with countering Russian air defense systems”.
Moscow accuses “Russian Freedom” Legion
According to an FSB video, broadcast by Russian media, the man confessed by claiming that he worked for the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, a unit in Ukraine claiming to be composed of Russian anti-Kremlin fighters responsible in particular in recent days, in the run-up to the presidential election in Russia, armed incursions into Russian border regions.
In a second case, the FSB indicated that it had arrested a Russian who was preparing “terrorist attacks” in order to “destabilize the socio-political situation” in the context of the presidential election.
This man, born in 2002, also acted on the orders of the “Freedom of Russia” Legion, according to a press release cited by the Interfax agency.
Equipped with explosive devices, it targeted “buildings of companies in the energy sector and social infrastructure”, according to the FSB.
Woman arrested in Belgorod region
At the same time, a third person, accused of having prepared the “sabotage” of railway transport facilities, was arrested in the Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, the local branch of the FSB said in a separate statement.
This woman allegedly “illegally acquired an explosive device” and planned to “blow up railway tracks,” said the special services, cited by the Tass news agency.
Since the start of the week, Russia has said it has repelled several attempted incursions by pro-Ukraine armed groups in this region.
Since the start of the Russian offensive against its neighbor, the country's authorities have regularly said they arrest some of their nationals working for kyiv's forces.