MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. One of the Ukrainian agents detained in Sevastopol was to commit an act of sabotage at a military airfield in Kacha and another, to plant explosives under an officer's car, the FSB told TASS.

A local resident born in 1988, nicknamed Mentor, was recruited by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's intelligence in April 2022 in Russia via the messenger service WhatsApp. He was passing information of interest to the foreign intelligence officers from Sevastopol. Also, in telephone conversations, the man proactively offered various facilities as potential targets for terrorist attacks, and also received step-by-step instructions for assembling makeshift bombs and staging explosions.

"Later, a handler from the Ukrainian military intelligence instructed the Sevastopol resident to commit sabotage at the military airfield in the village of Kacha, using explosives from a cache," the FSB said.

A former Ukrainian contract soldier, born in 1984, was to eliminate high-ranking officers of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on orders from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

"He was gathering information about officers’ addresses, cars and usual routes. At a certain point he received a parcel containing two makeshift explosive devices stuffed with a foreign-made hexogen-based explosive having a total mass of 2.5 kg. He was to plant a bomb under the car of an officer mentioned on the top of the list of potential targets and to set it off remotely," the FSB said. The agent was detained by FSB operatives.

Detainees

Also, among the detainees there is a former civilian employee of the Ukrainian Navy, nicknamed Myth. He was also recruited in July 2022 through WhatsApp. For his services Ukrainian handlers promised him medical treatment in Europe, which he would never receive. The man was passing to Kiev secret information about the locations of military units and warships, for which he repeatedly received cash.

In January last year, acting on instructions from Ukrainian secret services, the man received a parcel delivered to him by bus. The parcel, disguised as household appliances in reality contained a plastic explosive based on hexogen of foreign manufacture, a military detonator and an electric igniter. He was to place the items in a cache and send its coordinates to a foreign intelligence service, while another Ukrainian agent was to use it to commit a terrorist act.

The FSB said that a former Ukrainian serviceman - an air pilot - was also among the detainees. He was recruited by SBU officers in Ukraine in 2018. His tasks included the selection of former military servicemen who would agree to work for Ukraine, and video recording of movements of Russian military equipment.

"For maintaining two-way communication, an officer of the Ukrainian intelligence service supplied the agent with a satellite terminal, flash drives and a laptop for writing reports. In addition, the man was obliged to ensure the safety of a cache in Sevastopol containing TNT for acts of sabotage and terrorism," the FSB.

A similar task was assigned to a resident of Sevastopol born in 1996, who in September 2022 established contact with Ukrainian military intelligence. He received a package with explosives from a messenger who was unaware of the contents of the parcel, and decided to plant the TNT in a cache at one of the city's cemeteries. In addition, on instructions from Ukrainian handlers, the man was transmitting information about the movements of military equipment in Crimea and spotting the location of individuals and vehicles.

Criminal cases

The FSB’s Crimea and Sevastopol Office launched criminal proceedings under articles 205 (terrorist act) and 275 (treason) of the Criminal Code against persons involved in preparations for sabotage and terrorist acts on instructions from Ukrainian secret services in the city of Sevastopol. Earlier, they were convicted under article 222.1 of the Criminal Code (illegal keeping of explosives and explosive devices). Under the current charges the accused face long prison terms up to life.

"Within the framework of the initiated criminal proceedings the accused confessed to cooperating with foreign secret services in order to prepare for and commit acts of terrorism and sabotage in the city of Sevastopol", the FSB said.