Information
A German-Russian citizen, born in 2003, has been arrested in Russia for allegedly attempting to sabotage a rail line in Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 miles east of Moscow, on the orders of Ukraine’s SBU security service. According to Russia’s FSB security services, the man was preparing to use an improvised explosive device (IED) for sabotage in exchange for payment. The FSB claimed to have found an IED at his home, as well as evidence of communication with an SBU operative. This incident highlights the increasing use of Russian railways as military targets in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Russian media released a video purportedly showing the man confessing to the accusations. In the footage, with his face blurred, he claims to have been recruited by a person he met online who later identified as a member of the Ukrainian special services. He admitted to carrying out prior tasks, such as setting fire to a fuse box and painting pro-Ukrainian graffiti, and alleged that his final assignment was to derail a freight train. As of now, neither the German Foreign Ministry nor the Ukrainian SBU has commented on the arrest.
Source: AFP, Reuters
So what
Firstly, that confession video is not proof of anything, as it is likely that he would have been coerced into a confession. It is possible that this is just another case of a dual citizen getting arrested for a bargaining chip. It is just as possible that the Ukrainian SBU flipped this person to conduct sabotage attacks against Russia. Regardless, it is likely they will be spending the next few months in a cold Russian prison awaiting some form of agreement between Germany and Russia.
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