Russia arrests foreigner over alleged Moscow drone plot

Russia has arrested an unnamed foreign citizen accused by the FSB security service of trying to launch a surveillance drone over Moscow to help Ukrainian intelligence plan an attack on the capital, officials said Friday.

The FSB said it detained the person in northern Russia while he was trying to cross into Norway on foot. It did not specify his nationality. State media published FSB video showing masked agents arresting a man on a dirt road in darkness.

The FSB said the man had worked for Kyiv since 2023 and travelled to Moscow, where it alleged he surveyed a railway station to identify freight trains carrying oil products and administrative buildings in the city centre.

A video published Friday also showed an interrogation of the man, whose face was blurred, in which he allegedly outlined the plot and said he was an expert in drones, artificial intelligence and robotics. The FSB also published images of drone and electronic equipment it said it found in the Moscow apartment where he stayed.

Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of espionage and sabotage since Russia launched its full-scale offensive in Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine has carried out attacks inside Russia, including assassinations of military and pro-Kremlin figures.