Russian law enforcement authorities in the Kaliningrad region arrested a German citizen on charges of sabotaging energy facilities, the FSB security service announced Wednesday.The man, identified as 56-year-old Nikolai Gaiduk, was accused of being involved in a March 2024 explosion at a gas distribution station in Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave bordered by Poland and Lithuania.Gaiduk, a resident of Hamburg, was detained at a Kaliningrad border crossing upon returning to the region, allegedly to "organize acts of sabotage on local energy infrastructure," the FSB said in a statement reported by news agencies.Authorities claimed to have seized half a liter of explosive material concealed in a shampoo bottle inside Gaiduk's car.
The FSB alleged that he had received the explosives and instructions for the attack from a Ukrainian citizen living in Hamburg.Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian authorities have increasingly charged individuals with crimes such as sabotage, treason and terrorism.