Up to seven arrested over ‘preparing terrorist attacks in Crimea’ - Russian media

There are up to seven arrestees on charges of preparing terrorist attacks in Crimea, Russian media say.

“Seven people have been detained, including the coordinators from Crimea, local agents,” Russian state-controlled agency RIA Novosti reports with reference to its own source.

In turn, Interfax states that three people were detained.

“There were two attempts to break into [Crimea] near the town of Armyansk from the Ukrainian territory – one was made by a secret subversive group of about 15 people overnight into to August 7; the second attempt took place on August 8 – they used heavy equipment, including BMP armored carriers,” the agency quotes their source, an anonymous law enforcer.

According to him, at least three people were detained when trying to break into the territory of Crimea when they were putting various types of explosives in a secret cache.

The group was reportedly led by Ukrainian citizen Evgeny Panov, 39, an officer of the Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Department.

“All the detainees are in the territory of Crimea. No charges have been brought against them yet. Investigations and interrogations are being carried out at the moment,” the source said.

Ukraine’s intelligence denies the fact of of their officers being arrested in Crimea.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Wednesday it had discovered a group of infiltrators in Crimea close to the Ukrainian border. According to them, explosive devices and ammunition used by the Ukrainian Army’s special forces were discovered at the scene, while more attempts by Ukrainian raiding and terrorist groups to break through had been prevented by Russian forces this week; a FSB officer and a serviceman were killed, they say. Commenting on the FSB report, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has blamed Kyiv for turning to the ‘practice of terrorism’ instead of trying to peacefully resolve the crisis.

Bеlsat.eu, following ria.ru, interfax.ru,