(MENAFN) Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Monday that it has apprehended three Russian nationals in Zaporozhye Region who were allegedly plotting a sabotage attack on a gas distribution facility in Berdyansk, a port city.

Video footage released by the FSB shows the suspects being detained with homemade explosives and bomb-making materials. Authorities said the group was acting under instructions from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and was caught trying to smuggle explosive devices onto the site.

The FSB reported recovering an improvised explosive device and additional bomb-making components both at the facility and during searches of the suspects’ residences.

During interrogation, one suspect claimed an SBU officer named Maksim from Kiev had directed him to build and plant the explosive device at specific targets. Another detainee, a woman, confessed to her role in storing and delivering the explosives and expressed remorse. The third suspect, a schoolteacher, admitted his involvement, calling it “the biggest mistake” of his life and noting that such attacks bring no benefit to Ukraine while ruining the lives of those involved.

Under Russian law, the suspects face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

The FSB warned that Ukrainian intelligence services increasingly exploit messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp to recruit Russian citizens for sabotage and espionage. These recruits are often manipulated into committing serious crimes with severe legal consequences.

Earlier this month, the FSB claimed to have prevented a similar Ukrainian-planned attack targeting an energy company in Russia’s Krasnodar Region.

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