The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has apprehended, jointly with the Federal Customs Service, a group of smugglers who had been carrying explosives hidden inside Orthodox icons and liturgical utensils from Ukraine into Russia, the FSB press service said.
"In the process of inspecting a vehicle at the Ubylinka international automobile checkpoint, FSB officers uncovered foreign-made explosives that had been hidden inside a consignment of Orthodox icons and liturgical utensils and were being smuggled from Ukraine into Russia," the statement reads.
As many as 27 ready-to-use improvised explosive devices disguised as icons, 70 kg of a factory-made high-power plastic explosive, 91 electric detonators, and components for an RPG-7 rocket launcher were confiscated from a cargo shipment originating in Ukraine that had passed through Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia en route to Russia.
"All individuals involved in organizing or assisting in the crime, including foreign citizens, will be put on a wanted list and prosecuted in accordance with Russian law," the statement reads.
