The key facts

  • Moscow resident arrested in a case over passing data on the locations of Russian Armed Forces military equipment
  • Case opened under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code, carrying up to 20 years in prison
  • The man contacted the legion via a Telegram bot in July 2026 and took photographs and video of facilities

Arrest in Moscow

A Moscow resident has been arrested who, according to the FSB Directorate for Moscow and the Moscow Region, joined the 'Freedom of Russia' Legion (an organization designated as banned in Russia) and passed information to the enemy about the locations of Russian military equipment. The report was published by Gazeta.Ru citing the agency's press service and RIA Novosti.

What the investigation established

According to the investigation, the man independently contacted a representative of the Ukrainian paramilitary formation online and began identifying himself as one of its members. During questioning, the suspect said that in July 2026 he contacted the legion via a Telegram bot, received a reply, filled out a questionnaire, and, on the curator's orders, took photographs and video of facilities. Later, he collected and passed on data on the locations of columns of Russian military equipment.

Preventive measure and the case

The investigative service of the FSB Directorate opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Criminal Code — participation in the activities of a terrorist organization; the maximum penalty under this article is 20 years in prison. The court ordered the detainee held in custody. During a search of his home, communication devices were seized which, according to the agency, were used for unlawful activities.

Context of other FSB reports

The article also mentions recent agency reports on other cases: investigators opened a criminal case against a 20-year-old resident of the village of Novaya Adygeya who, according to the FSB, was preparing a terrorist attack at the Mega-Adygea-Kuban shopping mall and tried to involve fellow villagers in the activities of an international terrorist organization banned in Russia. Earlier, the FSB reported that it had thwarted terrorist attacks involving booby-trapped FPV goggles in the zone of the special military operation. These reports concern separate incidents and are not connected to the Moscow case.