Russia's FSB security services said Friday, Sept. 8, it had detained a man for plotting a rail bombing in Crimea as a drone was downed over the Moscow-occupied peninsula.

Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, has been targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes and sabotage attacks as Kyiv tries to retake the peninsula.

The FSB said the suspect -- a Russian citizen in his mid-40s -- had been "collecting information on the deployment of Russian defence ministry facilities and units" and was preparing a railway bombing.

"In а hiding place he had organised (we) found and seized an improvised explosive device made using foreign-made plastic explosives," it said.

It said the man had been acting on the "instructions of Ukrainian military intelligence" and had been remanded in custody.

Advertisement

The Russian-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, warned that transport infrastructure had become a main target for "terrorism" and that Ukrainian saboteurs would be punished.

"An unenviable fate awaits the Ukrainian agents. They will be found and punished," he said.

He later said a Ukrainian drone had been shot down over the north of the peninsula, but did not report any further details.

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter