The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has dismantled a Western-trained Ukrainian sabotage group planning attacks on Russian transport infrastructure. The group, believed to be under the authority of Ukraine’s military intelligence (GUR), reportedly received direct training from Western intelligence officers in Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and Norway.
During a gunfight with the group, three of its members were killed, and three others, including the commander, were captured. The FSB also seized weapons and explosives during the operation. According to the agency, six US-made assault rifles with silencers, 16kg of Czech-made plastic explosives, a large number of NATO-type grenades and cartridges, and a communication device were seized at the group’s camp, located in a wooded area.
The operation to eliminate the saboteurs was the result of coordination between the FSB, the national guard (Rosgvardiya) and the Russian Interior Ministry in Bryansk Region. The arrested men confessed that they had been previously involved in explosions that damaged railway tracks in Belgorod Region in September 2024, as well as in preparations for other attacks inside Russia. A criminal case related to preparing sabotage has been opened, and investigations launched under criminal code articles relating to smuggling of weapons and explosives, illegal crossing of the Russian border and endangering the lives of law enforcement officers.