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A Russian man is facing treason charges for transferring cryptocurrency to a terrorist organization in Ukraine to fund the purchase of drones, according to the Federal Security Service (FSB).
The suspect, who was not identified by name, contacted the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and a terrorist organization, offering financial support to Kiev’s forces, the FSB stated on Wednesday.
The man was arrested in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, and in a video shared by the FSB admitted to transferring cryptocurrency to the ‘Freedom of Russia Legion’ terrorist organization to buy drones. According to the detainee, he opposed the Russian military operation against Ukraine and decided to support Kiev.
“I made two cryptocurrency transfers from the Binance and KuCoin exchanges to the official wallets of the ‘Freedom of Russia Legion’ organization to enable them to acquire drones,” the suspect said during interrogation.
Footage released by the Russian agency shows the man’s arrest, along with chat messages from a terrorist group discovered on his home computer, suggesting that he maintained contact with the organization through Telegram.
The detention comes after Russia repelled a major multi-wave Ukrainian drone attack on a number of regions, including Moscow, on Tuesday, just ahead of US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
The assault, which involved hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), some reportedly loaded with shrapnel to maximize casualties, resulted in three civilian deaths and multiple injuries in Moscow Region. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 337 Ukrainian drones were neutralized, including 91 near the capital and 126 over Kursk Region.
On Tuesday, the FSB also reported detaining a resident of Belgorod Region on the border with Ukraine, who was allegedly planning to carry out a terrorist attack in the city of Valuyki and poison military personnel.
He also reportedly collected and leaked information to Kiev on the locations and movements of Russian troops in the border area to facilitate Ukrainian attacks.
