Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the arrest of a woman accused of planting and detonating explosives on the Trans-Siberian Railway in an operation allegedly tied to Ukrainian intelligence.
The woman, reported to be in her fifties and born in 1974, was taken into custody in the Zabaikalsky region of eastern Siberia.
According to Russian authorities, the suspect built an improvised explosive device using materials available to the public before placing it on the railway tracks in August 2025. She then set off the device and captured the blast on her mobile phone. Investigators claim the footage was later sent to her handler in return for payment.
The FSB also stated that it is closely monitoring online spaces such as Telegram and WhatsApp, where Ukrainian intelligence is said to recruit Russians for sabotage operations.
In a separate case, Russian officials reported that a man from the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, received a prison sentence of more than 18 years. He was accused of collaborating with a banned group described as pro-Ukrainian. Authorities said he obtained explosives from a hidden location after establishing contact through Telegram and was awaiting further instructions before his arrest.
Both cases come as Russia continues to report incidents of sabotage and covert operations linked to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.