Russia warns of 20 years for alleged Ukrainian sabotage
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs warned that participating in acts of sabotage on behalf of Ukraine's special services could result in 20 years of imprisonment. The statement was released after a record series of 55 sabotage acts within a week. These actions were reportedly carried out by retirees, students, and even pupils, who were encouraged and instructed via social media.
Russian authorities reported 55 arson attacks and explosions in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Tver, Tula, Krasnoyarsk, the Altai region, and eastern Russia from December 18 to December 26, without providing details of the incidents. Internal affairs officers and other law enforcement agencies detained 44 people.
The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the criminals were primarily older adults and retirees. However, younger people, including pupils and students seeking quick financial gains, were also implicated.
The statement revealed that the suspects followed directions from unidentified individuals and communicated via phone or online messaging platforms, with promises of monetary rewards frequently offered as part of the scheme. Russian officials also alleged that Ukrainian special services were responsible for orchestrating these activities.
55 acts of sabotage in a week. "Propaganda statement"
The Russian agency Interfax reported the case. Following this, Russian-language opposition and independent outlets such as Mediazona added that 55 acts of sabotage in a week would be a record. From fall 2022 to spring 2023, there was a wave of arson attacks in Russia against military recruitment committees conducting army mobilization.
"I believe that this statement has a purely propaganda tone. Russian authorities fear such actions; they don't know who is organizing them and appeal to the public to avoid making suspicious contacts over the Internet. At the same time, they intimidate the public: beware of such people, something could happen to you too," comments Major Dr Anna Grabowska-Siwiec, a former counterintelligence officer of the Internal Security Agency.
She points out that the Russian report does not detail investigations or incidents, so there is no certainty that the series of diversions mentioned in the article actually occurred in Russia.
"It is true that services intensively use so-called proxy agents, recruiting people via the Internet to carry out relatively simple actions, for example, for money or due to motivations stemming from political emotions or personal frustrations. The 'agents' themselves often may not be aware that they are working for the services," explains the former ABW officer.
Below is a report from the media and police on an attempted arson of a gas station in Krasnoyarsk.
"Ukraine likely does not have the capability to conduct small-scale sabotage operations in Russia on a large scale. This requires teams of people focused on this target type, performing work on selecting people to acquire, etc. Meanwhile, Ukraine lacks people for physical combat to defend the country. I think Ukrainian services prefer to carry out spectacular actions, such as the destruction of the Nord Stream II pipeline or the recent assassination attempt on a general's life," comments Maj. Anna Grabowska-Siwiec.
"They stir emotions, aiming to intimidate Russian authorities," she emphasizes.
In mid-December, an assassination attempt was made on General Igor Kiryilov, the head of Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense in the Russian army. He died after a bomb placed in an electric scooter left by the entrance of his home exploded.
This assassination is attributed to the use of "proxy" agents recruited by Ukrainian intelligence. The explosive device was allegedly planted by an Uzbek citizen recruited through social media, according to unofficial information from Russian media.
Meanwhile, cases involving Russian "proxy" agents include individuals recruited to monitor train movements from Poland to Ukraine, transporting military supplies. Two Poles associated with the hooligan movement were allegedly set to attack Leonid Volkov, one of the leaders of the Russian opposition and former head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation in Russia, in Vilnius.
In Germany, a case involving Russian-origin immigrants who were investigating NATO facilities for potential sabotage was revealed.
