Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has warned that citizens of Russia are being coerced by Ukrainian intelligence into committing criminal acts that could result in prison terms of up to 20 years.
According to the FSB, investigators are handling cases involving ten unrelated Russian nationals across five regions. The agency states these incidents are connected through a method attributed to Kiev’s special services.
In each case, victims were first defrauded financially, after which perpetrators used the resulting financial leverage to compel them into acts of sabotage. Compliance with such demands can lead to prison sentences as long as 20 years.
The FSB released interviews with several suspects, all aged young adults and elderly individuals. Officials stated that scammers targeted these victims using standard fraud tactics that granted criminals access to personal finances, including taking out loans in the victims’ names.
After initial financial losses, the victims were falsely accused by the scammers of financing the Ukrainian military. The same actors then allegedly posed as Russian law enforcement officers, offering to erase supposed violations in exchange for covert cooperation. Coerced individuals were instructed to carry out actions labeled as “tests” of counterterrorism readiness or staged attacks intended to justify increased funding for Russian security services.
The schemes have resulted in arson attacks on critical infrastructure and vehicles belonging to law enforcement personnel, which the FSB is treating as terrorism and sabotage cases. The agency cautioned that legitimate officers do not contact random citizens via messaging apps or demand criminal acts.
Additionally, Russia’s authorities report that Ukraine hosts a large scam industry operating internationally with what they claim to be government protection. The FSB has previously documented raids on facilitators within Russia who allegedly support the operations by running illegal mobile relay systems used by Ukrainian call centers.
