Moscow on Thursday accused the “Ukrainian secret services” of being behind around fifty arson attacks and attacks using explosives that targeted administrative buildings in Russia in December.
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From December 18 to 26, “55 crimes of this type were recorded” and the police arrested 44 people suspected of them, according to a press release from the Russian Interior Ministry.
“It is the Ukrainian secret services which are behind the organization of such crimes,” assured the ministry, accusing them of using methods of “psychological pressure” and manipulation.
The Russians involved in these crimes are most often retirees, teenagers or students, looking for “easy money”, according to the same source. They “acted on orders” from Ukrainian agents who communicated with them by telephone or via online messaging, we read in the press release.
They promised them remuneration or, on the contrary, took their money through fraud and promised to return it to them on the condition that they commit these crimes, according to the ministry.
Lourdes combs
The suspects, if convicted, face up to 20 years in prison, according to the ministry. The attacks targeted administrative buildings, police vehicles, banks or posts in several Russian regions, notably in Moscow and Saint Petersburg but also as far as Siberia.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, trials for “treason”, “terrorism”, “sabotage” or “espionage”, which always carry heavy sentences, have multiplied in Russia.
Thousands of people in Russia have been sanctioned or imprisoned for their opposition to the conflict in Ukraine. Independent NGOs and media say Russian security services may use torture or threats to extract confessions. (sda/ats/afp)
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