Swedish man arrested in Russia over alleged sabotage plot

Russia’s FSB said on Thursday it had arrested a Swedish man who, it alleges, crossed the border illegally to attack military sites.

Agents picked him up in the Sebezhsky district of the Pskov region, the agency said. That district sits near Russia’s frontiers with Latvia and Belarus.

In footage released by the security service, the detainee named himself as Freddy Michael Stålkrantz Lindholm, aged 35, from Stockholm.

Investigators allege that he posed as a would-be recruit for the Russian army to get into the country. His true goal, in the agency’s words, was “sabotage and terrorist acts at military facilities.”

Swedish man linked to Ukrainian drone unit

According to the FSB, Lindholm held a contract with Ukrainian forces between February and June. During those months, it said, he led a squad that flew drones.

In the video, which the agency presented as a confession, he described joining the Aidar battalion. Moscow lists that unit as a terrorist organisation.

He said he signed his papers in Ternopil, in the west of Ukraine. There, he added, he learned to fly reconnaissance drones and later trained newer recruits himself.

Speaking in English, the Swedish man said his plan in Russia was to carry out “terrorist attacks” and sabotage using FPV drones. Russian state television also aired what it said was his signed contract with Ukraine’s Defence Ministry.

These claims come only from the FSB and state media. So far, nobody has verified them independently.

Charges facing the Swedish man

For now, the FSB said, he stands accused of crossing the state border unlawfully. On top of that, he faces counts of membership in a terrorist group and of mercenary activity.

Further terrorism-related charges could still follow, according to the agency, which has opened a criminal case against him.

Notably, the FSB said only that the Swedish man arrived “from the territory of a neighbouring state,” without naming it. Even so, it claimed to hold papers proving that he had fought against Russia alongside Ukrainian troops.

Sweden’s foreign ministry said it knew of media reports on the arrest. At this stage, though, it said it had no role in the case. Kyiv offered no immediate response. With little comment from either capital, the FSB’s version of events stands unchallenged for now.

Russia’s hunt for saboteurs

Ever since the invasion of Ukraine began, President Vladimir Putin has ordered the FSB to keep a sharper eye out for foreign spies and saboteurs.

Over the course of the war, Russia has held a number of Western nationals. Each case has added to the strain between Moscow and Western capitals.

The arrest also follows another high-profile case. Just two days earlier, the FSB said it had seized a Japanese journalist in the Far East on spying charges.

Tokyo, for its part, has rejected the accusation that it spies on Russia. On Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi flatly denied the claim.

The Swedish man’s fate now rests with Russian courts. Meanwhile, his case joins a growing list of foreigners whom Moscow holds on security charges, at a time of deep mistrust between Moscow and Western governments.