Russian Revolutionary Arrested for Alleged Spying for Ukraine
Russian security officers have detained a 50-year-old man accused of espionage for Ukraine, specifically for collecting intelligence on military transport and infrastructure. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest on Friday, identifying the suspect as a member of Artpodgotovka, an opposition movement that has been banned in Russia since 2017. The FSB claims that Vyacheslav Maltsev, the group's founder and a former regional lawmaker, acted as a liaison between the detained individual and Ukrainian intelligence services.
The suspect allegedly posed as an employee of a logistics company to gain access to military cargoes. His activities included gathering information on shipping routes, identifying markings, and operational vulnerabilities at military facilities. Although he was arrested in the Novgorod Region, the FSB stated that his espionage activities extended across seven regions of Russia.
He has been charged with participation in a terrorist organization, as Artpodgotovka was designated a terrorist group in 2021 after previously being classified as extremist. Maltsev established Artpodgotovka in 2013, initially presenting it as an art club before it evolved into a political movement. He gained notoriety by predicting a popular revolution in Russia in November 2017.
Maltsev fled Russia in 2017 and was granted asylum in France, where he has since appeared frequently on Ukrainian television, providing political commentary and forecasting the collapse of the Russian government. The FSB has also suggested that Maltsev has connections to French intelligence, which may protect him from Russian attempts to extradite him for prosecution.
