A Russian soldier has been detained for trying to sell plastic explosives used in the armor plating of tanks on a city street in the Far East, RIA-Novosti reported Wednesday.

The explosives the soldier was trying to sell are built into steel plates on some Russian tanks and are intended to detonate when hit by an incoming missile, reducing its effectiveness.

The conscript was detained Tuesday after trying to sell 750 grams of the explosive in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in the Khabarovsk region, RIA-Novosti reported, citing a law enforcement source.

(Reuters)