Russian authorities arrested eight people for planning an attack on an enterprise in the Moscow region and separately detained a foreign national for inspecting government buildings and strategic infrastructure, according to state news agencies.

Eight people were accused of having used 35 drones equipped with explosives smuggled from the European Union (EU) to target a strategic defense enterprise, Russian media said, citing Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

Separately, a foreign citizen from an unspecified country was arrested in the northwest Murmansk region, where he was planning to flee into neighboring Norway on foot. The FSB said the person was suspected of having reconnoitered administrative buildings and trains carrying oil products at a railway station in Moscow. He is accused of attempting to launch a surveillance drone over the Russian capital to help Ukrainian intelligence plot an attack on the city.

Russian state agencies said all the arrested individuals were working for Ukrainian special services. Ukraine has not made public statements about the arrests. Both Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of espionage and sabotage since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

The arrests highlight the growing importance of covert operations and drone warfare beyond the conventional front lines, particularly against Russia’s defense industry, energy infrastructure, and transportation networks. If Moscow’s allegations are accurate, the reported smuggling of explosive-equipped drones from the EU would also raise security concerns for European governments over their territory being used to support operations inside Russia. The arrests could trigger tighter Russian security measures and diplomatic pressure on European states. (AFP)