Multiple arrests of Russian saboteurs in Odessa as they plot railway sabotage and fires
In Odessa, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) together with the National Police executed a large-scale operation to apprehend a sabotage group operating under Russian intelligence guidance.
According to official sources, eight suspects were detained during the operation, comprising individuals aged from 19 to 73, all of whom had been pre recruited by the enemy with promises of easy earnings.
These saboteurs were assigned tasks aimed at destabilizing local transportation infrastructure and causing harm to military and civilian safety.
Notably, law enforcement uncovered and detained a local unemployed man who was preparing to plant an explosive device under railway tracks to trigger an explosion during train transit.
Additionally, the group was involved in arson activities targeting relay cabinets on the railway, intended to disrupt logistical operations.
The criminals used flammable mixtures for fires and documented the incendiary acts for reporting to their Russian controllers.
Further, seven more individuals were detained for damaging infrastructure by setting fire to railway equipment, making logistics for Ukrainian forces more difficult.
All detainees have been formally charged under several Ukrainian criminal statutes, including sabotage and arson — crimes punishable by prison terms ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment with asset confiscation.
Earlier reports indicated that a woman in Donetsk region was sentenced to life for firing at Pokrovsk district, exemplifying the scale of unprecedented crimes committed in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.