Kiev denies Russian report on Ukrainian saboteurs' detention in Crimea

Dmytro Shtyblikov, a member of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's sabotage group, suspected of planning attacks on military sites in Crimea, is being detained by Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, Nov 10. [Photo/IC]

KIEV - The Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Thursday denied a statement by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on the detention of Ukrainian saboteurs in Crimea.

"It is another story faked by Russian special services aimed at hiding their own intolerable actions against residents of the peninsula and at discrediting Ukraine in the eyes of the international community," said a statement on the ministry's website.

Earlier in the day, the FSB said in a statement that on Wednesday it has detained a group of armed saboteurs in the southwestern Crimean city of Sevastopol, who allegedly were members of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's intelligence forces.

The armed men, who were arrested with weapons and explosive devices, were plotting terror attacks on the peninsula's military infrastructure and utility facilities, the FSB said.

The incident marked another row between Kiev and Moscow over the detention of the alleged saboteurs.

In August, Russia said it had prevented several groups of Ukrainian intelligence officers from invading Crimea, a claim which Kiev denied.

The autonomous republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol were absorbed into Russia in March 2014 following a referendum, which was recognized by Moscow but rejected by Kiev.