Ukraine says it detained 2 ‘saboteurs’ trying to blow up railway line in Poltava region

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Tuesday said that it thwarted an attempt by two “saboteurs” allegedly affiliated with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to blow up a railway line in the country’s central Poltava region.

A statement by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said that two people tied to the FSB were arrested “on the spot” as they tried to blow up a section of the railway line connecting Ukraine’s central and eastern regions.

“To commit sabotage, they planted an improvised explosive device near the track and the power supply system of the rolling stock. Later, the attackers planned to activate the explosives using a remote control,” the statement said.

It said that the two “hoped to disrupt the logistical routes for the supply of weapons, ammunition and fuel” for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

The statement further said that SBU confiscated the mobile phones of the detainees and identified that they had coordinated with an FSB officer.

It also said the two are in custody and face life imprisonment.