Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a Swedish citizen in the Pskov region on terrorism charges, accusing him of intending to carry out sabotage and terrorist attacks on military sites. The detainee, whose name has not been disclosed, is alleged to have served as a commander of a drone section in a Ukrainian volunteer unit.
What happened
The FSB also arrested Japanese journalist Yuki Imai on Sakhalin Island, accusing him of gathering information on Russia's defense capabilities at the direction of Japanese intelligence services. Japan has summoned Russia's ambassador in Tokyo to protest the arrest and has demanded consular access to Imai.
The arrests follow a post by former President Dmitry Medvedev on Telegram, in which he suggested that Russia may need to detain more Western nationals to secure the release of Russians held abroad. Medvedev's comments come after the arrest in Montenegro of Mikhail Zvinchuk, a Kremlin propagandist and founder of a Telegram channel close to Russia's military and security services.
Russia has a history of detaining foreign nationals on charges including espionage and drug smuggling, a practice that critics describe as the taking of hostages for exchange. The most recent large-scale prisoner swap took place in August 2024, in which 26 people were freed in a multinational exchange.
