MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. Law enforcement officers in Moscow have detained a man with links to the banned neo-Nazi organization Azov for trying to persuade Russian service members to jump ship to the Ukranian side, the regional branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement.
"A Moscow resident born in 1993 has been detained for involvement in the activities of a Ukrainian paramilitary nationalist group designated as terrorist in Russia. Search and investigation operations made it clear that prior to the launch of Russia’s special military operation, the Russian citizen, who holds neo-Nazi beliefs, had traveled to Ukraine several times, where he established contact with a unit commander within the Azov Battalion and later joined its ranks. Since the start of the special military operation, the suspect, acting upon orders from his handlers, has been using social media to message Russian service members taking part in the operation, trying to persuade them to defect to the enemy," the statement reads.
In addition, the man was collecting information about Russian forces deployed to the combat zone, their weapons, the number of troops and losses.
"Based on the information provided by investigators, the Moscow branch of the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into the man based on Article 205.5.2 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation in an organization that Russia has deemed a terrorist one). The suspect has been taken into custody. He could face a prison term of up to 20 years if found guilty," the FSB added.