KYIV. March 20 (Interfax) - Officers of the Ukrainian Security Service have detained three persons suspected of setting up sabotage groups active in the country's Luhansk region, the service said in a press release.
The leader of one of the gangs and its member, a former police officer, were detained on March 19, it said.
"Five professionally equipped secret apartments housing members of these sabotage groups have been found. Detailed instructions containing tasks to destabilize the situation in the state, seize administrative buildings and disrupt the presidential elections in May this year were found during a search of them. Rifled firearms, musketry instructions, lists with the names of the groups' members and money were confiscated from them as well. The suspects staged socially dangerous actions, provoked skirmishes with police and terrorized local activists," it said.
"The information available, including the testimony given by the detained persons, suggests that two well-trained sabotage groups have been active on the territory of the region. A criminal investigation has been opened under Article 258 of the Penal Code (the establishment of terrorist groups). The Security Service of Ukraine is working to establish the identities of all members of these sabotage groups and detain them," according to the press release.