Belarus Man Detained By Russia On Suspicion Of Pro-Ukraine Sabotage

A Belarusian man who set fire to a railway substation in western Russia has been detained on suspicion of pro-Ukraine sabotage, Russian state news agencies reported Monday.

Since launching its full-scale assault on Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has detained dozens of people for carrying out sabotage,  including on its vast rail network.

The suspect, born in 1998, targeted a railway substation in Tula, about 175 kilometres (100 miles) south of Moscow, the RIA news agency reported.

He had already served a prior sentence for "hooliganism" in Belarus, and carried out the arson on orders from a Ukrainian who had promised money, it said.

He was detained by security services in the Russian city of Voronezh, where he planned to commit another crime, it reported, citing the FSB security services.

AFP was not able to immediately verify the report.

Kyiv, which does not typically claim responsibility, often cheers attacks on Russia's railway network, which it argues Moscow uses to move troops and fuel for its offensive.

In December, Russia arrested a Belarusian man for placing explosives on two trains travelling through Siberia, in a case it also blamed on Ukraine.

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