Two more Ukrainian ‘saboteurs’ arrested in Crimea, making a total of nine suspects now behind bars

The Russian authorities in Crimea have detained another two people in connection with Ukraine’s alleged incursion into the peninsula last week. According to the news agency Interfax, the two new suspects are locals who recently obtained Russian citizenship.

This brings the total number of men detained in this case to nine people. Only two have been identified so far publicly: Evgeny Panov and Andrei Zakhtei.

There are another ten people involved in the case as witnesses. An investigation is expected to determine the role that they played in the matter. According to reports, some of these individuals’ status could change from witness to suspect.

On August 10, Russia’s Federal Security Service reported that Russian and Ukrainian armed forces clashed at the Crimean border on the nights of August 7 and 8. Russian officials claim that a group of men carrying explosives infiltrated Crimea, intending to organize a series of terrorist attacks that would destabilize the peninsula ahead of parliamentary elections next month.