RT reported that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a German citizen born in Ukraine, who was allegedly recruited by Kiev's special services to smuggle improvised explosive devices into Russia's Kaliningrad region and sabotage gas facilities.
The suspect, identified as Nikolay Gaiduk, 58, had been on the FSB’s radar since a homemade bomb exploded at a small gas facility in Kaliningrad in March 2024. He was detained by authorities while attempting to cross the border from Poland into Russia again last month.
According to a video released by the FSB on November 20, there was a bottle of explosives in the suspect’s car. The suspect initially denied everything but eventually revealed the identity of the person behind him.
“Aleksander Zhorov, who was my superior in the army, contacted me. He works for one of the Ukrainian special services and is involved in sabotage activities against Russia,” Gaiduk told investigators during interrogation.
Gaiduk was initially tasked with smuggling explosives and detonators, disguised as car wash liquid and felt-tip pens, into Kaliningrad, which he did successfully in December 2023. In March 2024, Zhorov asked Gaiduk to go to Kaliningrad again—this time to retrieve bombs from a secret stash and blow up a gas pipeline.
“He asked me if I was willing to do my part to help end the war… On March 22, when it was dark, I found the hidden bomb, planted it and detonated it near the gas pipeline,” the suspect admitted.
In October 2024, Gaiduk was asked to monitor a gas station near Bolshoe Isakovo in Kaliningrad before another bombing, and he was arrested at that time. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case on charges of attempted terrorism and smuggling explosives, and are working to identify other potential accomplices.
Gaiduk was born in Ukraine and has lived in Germany since 1992. According to the FSB, Zhorov is a Ukrainian citizen with a residence permit in Germany and also lives in Hamburg.
According to public updates, the FSB regularly thwarts plots involving Ukrainian intelligence agencies. Earlier this week, the FSB arrested a man in Russia’s Kaluga region suspected of manufacturing homemade bombs for Ukrainian intelligence. Last week, the FSB announced the arrest of two arsonists hired by Kiev to carry out sabotage.
According to Moscow, Kiev is losing on the battlefield and is increasingly resorting to terrorist tactics against Russian civilians and desperate PR stunts, such as the incursion into Kursk province.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova argued in September that Ukraine's Western backers were either unaware of or deliberately turning a blind eye to the potential consequences of their continued support for Kiev.
