Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Nov. 20 the detention of German citizen Nikolai Gaiduk, accusing him of planning terrorist attacks on energy infrastructure in the Kaliningrad region.
Russia accused Gaiduk, a resident of Hamburg, Germany, of orchestrating the March 2024 bombing of a low-pressure gas distribution station in Kaliningrad using an improvised explosive device.
The Kaliningrad region is Russia's heavily-armed exclave at the Baltic Sea coast, lodged between NATO members Poland and Lithuania.
The FSB claims Gaiduk was detained after entering the Kaliningrad region from Poland, allegedly to conduct further sabotage. A search of his vehicle reportedly uncovered 0.5 liters of liquid explosive material.
According to the FSB, Gaiduk received instructions and materials from Alexander (Oleksandr) Zhorov, a Ukrainian citizen residing in Hamburg. A criminal case has been opened against Gaiduk on terrorism and explosives smuggling charges.
The independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo identified Gaiduk as a 57-year-old native of Ukraine who had lived in Konotop in Sumy Oblast before moving to Germany.
The German Foreign Ministry said it is keeping itself informed but declined to comment on the allegations.
The FSB announced on Nov. 19 the detention of two residents of Russian-occupied Crimea, accused of involvement in a Nov. 13 car bombing in Sevastopol that killed Russian Navy officer Valery Trankovsky.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
