FSB Says It Detained a Swedish Citizen in Pskov Region, Accusing Him of Fighting for Ukraine

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the detention of a Swedish citizen in the Pskov region, in northwestern Russia. The agency alleges that the man fought on the side of Ukraine's armed forces in the Russia–Ukraine war. The announcement comes days after the FSB reported detaining another foreign national.

What the FSB alleges

According to the FSB, the man traveled to Russia "under the guise of joining the Russian Armed Forces" in order to carry out sabotage at military facilities. The agency says he served from February to June 2026 as commander of an unmanned aerial systems squad in the 24th Separate Assault Battalion, which Russia has designated a terrorist organization. "There are documents confirming his participation in combat operations against our country as part of Ukraine's armed forces," the FSB said.

The agency has not disclosed his name.

Criminal proceedings

Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against the detainee for illegally crossing the Russian border. The FSB plans to open a second case, charging him with organizing the activities of a terrorist organization and with mercenarism.

Earlier case

On October 13, the FSB said it had detained Yuki Imai, a Japanese citizen and correspondent for the newspaper Hokkaido Shimbun, in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on espionage charges. The agency claimed that the journalist, acting on assignment from Japanese intelligence, had been gathering data on how many residents of the Kuril Islands had been mobilized or had volunteered to fight in the war in Ukraine.

Source: Meduza.