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Russia's FSB Says Saboteurs Detained in Crimea

AP/Russian Federal Security Service Press Service

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) claims to have detained a group of Ukrainian "saboteur-terrorists" in Sevastopol on the contested Crimean Peninsula, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday.

According to the FSB, Ukraine's Defense Ministry planned to "carry out acts of sabotage on the military and public services infrastructure" in the area. Officers reportedly confiscated powerful explosive devices, weapons, ammunition, special communications equipment, and maps and plans of the intended targets from the detained Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian government denies sending saboteurs to Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. 

An unnamed source with knowledge of the situation reportedly admitted their guilt.

The FSB similarly claimed to have detained Ukrainian saboteurs in August. The two suspects in that case, Ukrainian citizens Yevgeny Panov and Andrei Zakhtei have been placed in pre-trial detention until Dec. 10. 

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