Ukraine's Security Service detained a Russian saboteur in Donetsk Oblast on March 10, said SBU Chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko. The suspect is accused of preparing explosions and orchestrating other acts of diversion, said Nalyvaichenko in a statement on March 11. His activity is suspected of serving as a pretext for a wider Russian military invasion of Ukraine beyond Crimea.
The 37-year-old man, who was not identified, carried a Russian passport and was detained jointly by the police and the SBU.
The Russian Embassy in Kyiv did not
immediately comment on the detention.
“The danger of the detainee is that
he’s not just a regular guy, he’s a trained, professional saboteur,”
Nalyvaichenko said. “And this individual walked about the land of
miners with explosives and set up diversion groups to prepare
explosions in public places where masses of people had gathered.”
Nalyvaichenko said the man was a
member of a “foreign special service” and has organized a number
of extremist groups in eastern Ukraine. He has also allegedly
supplied the groups with explosives and weapons.
The SBU said the man has served in Russia’s terrorist hot spots, including Dagestan and Ossetia. He carried
explosive substances and detonators in his personal belongings,
Nalyvaichenko said. SBU started a criminal investigation against the
Russian individual for illegal possession of arms and explosives,
which can yield a prison sentence of three to five years.
