Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Tuesday that it had arrested a teenager in the republic of Mordovia on suspicion of organizing railway arson attacks with the help of minors.
The 18-year-old Russian citizen, born in 2007, allegedly carried out the acts on behalf of Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency in exchange for money, the FSB said in a statement.
He was said to have recruited local minors and sent photo and video evidence, along with GPS coordinates of the arson sites, to his handler in Ukraine.
It was not immediately possible to verify the FSB’s claims.
FSB video shared by state-backed media showed the young man, his face blurred, admitting to burning railway relays. The video also included footage of a hooded man setting fire to an outdoor equipment box and dousing it with flammable liquid.
The clip is followed by photos of a phone screen showing several transfers of up to 10,000 rubles ($120) each from several accounts. The young man is then seen being placed in a prison cell.
The FSB said a court placed the unnamed suspect in pre-trial detention on treason and terrorism charges, which carry a maximum penalty of up to life in prison.
The security agency reiterated warnings that Ukrainian intelligence services are actively using platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp to look for individuals in Russia willing to conduct sabotage and inflict economic harm to the country.
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