FSB detains Leningrad Region resident with 5 kg of explosives who was preparing a railway sabotage

Detention at a cache containing explosives

In the Tosno district of Leningrad Region, FSB officers detained a 48-year-old local resident suspected of preparing a sabotage at a railway transport facility. This was reported by the Public Relations Center of Russia's FSB; the detention was covered by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru. According to the agency, the man came to collect explosives from a cache and was detained as he tried to take them — the moment was captured in published footage, which shows that after the arrest bomb technicians and a special sapper robot were working at the scene.

What the detainee is charged with

According to the FSB, in 2024 the man was recruited by a member of a terrorist organization banned in Russia that operates under the patronage of Ukrainian intelligence services. On the task he received, he gathered information on the locations of Russian Armed Forces facilities as well as gas stations in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region, and prepared a sabotage at one of the railway infrastructure facilities. During interrogation, according to Gazeta.Ru, he said he had been ordered to blow up a relay cabinet. His smartphone, Life.ru claims citing the agency, was found to contain correspondence with representatives of the Ukrainian terrorist organization.

The seized device and the preventive measure

During a search, an improvised explosive device ready for use was found on the suspect, containing 5 kg of explosive. The Investigative Service of the FSB Directorate for St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region opened a case under Part 3 of Article 222.1 of the Criminal Code (illegal acquisition, storage and carrying of explosives or explosive devices) and under Part 3 of Article 30 and Part 1 of Article 281 of the Criminal Code (attempted sabotage). The court ordered the detainee held in custody. According to the FSB, the man admitted guilt and is cooperating with the investigation.

Context

This is not the first such report in recent days: earlier Life.ru reported the detention in Bashkortostan of a man and his 20-year-old accomplice who, according to the FSB, on the orders of a representative of the banned Ukrainian organization were preparing to set fire to railway transport in the Asha district of Chelyabinsk Region and were detained on their way to the crime scene. All key information about the case in Leningrad Region — the recruitment account, the nature of the task and the seized explosives — comes from the FSB itself; the published materials contain no independent confirmation.