Russia detains tourist who entered country on paddle board
A French citizen who illegally crossed the Russian border on a paddle board from Estonia has been put in detention for two months, a court in Russia 's northern Leningrad region said.
The man, who paddled from Estonia, was detained on the shore of the Narva reservoir - through which the Russian-Estonian border runs - by Federal Security Service (FSB) border guards.
According to the Leningrad court, the French man said he wanted to settle in Russia. The court said the man said he had previously undergone psychiatric treatment.
Reuters was unable to contact the man or his lawyers.
Earlier this month, Latvia 's intelligence agency issued a public warning about potential Russian saboteurs and spies operating within the country, disguised as tourists or hikers.
The Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD) released a list of characteristics in its annual report, urging citizens to be vigilant amid heightened regional tensions and a series of unexplained incidents.
The MIDD describes these individuals as potentially appearing unkempt, carrying excessive gear, or sporting military haircuts and survival equipment while demonstrating a lack of outdoor skills. They might ask unusual questions of locals, loiter near sensitive sites like military bases or infrastructure, or pose as humanitarian workers. Their presence in remote areas without any apparent interest in nature could also be a red flag.
The agency further advises the public to be wary of individuals carrying specialized medical kits, maps, or radios – items more commonly associated with clandestine operations than recreational activities. This warning comes against a backdrop of increased regional tensions and several incidents of arson and sabotage that Western governments attribute to Russia, though Moscow denies involvement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Why Putin is in 'victim mode' over Ukraine's airbase drone attack
Why you can trust Sky News It's only been ten days since Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin crazy following a series of Russian attacks on Ukraine. But now the attacks have been flowing in the opposite direction, it feels like the Russian president has seen an opportunity to win back Washington's affections. It involves playing the victim. The Kremlin, for example, said the leaders' call was focussed on Ukrainian attacks "on Russian civilians". 3:55 And before it, Putin accused Ukraine's leadership of being a "terrorist organisation", in his first comments since the spate of assaults began. He was referring to Saturday's bombing of a highway bridge in the Bryansk region, which left seven dead and dozens injured after part of a passenger train was crushed. No one has claimed responsibility but Russia blames Ukraine. "The current Kyiv regime does not need peace at all," said President Putin. "What is there to talk about? How can we negotiate with those who rely on terror?" It's exactly what Ukraine has been saying about Russia for the last three years, but there was no mention of that. The Kremlin is in full-on victim mode. 54:37 The aim, I think, is to turn the tables on Ukraine, cast itself as the injured party and make Donald Trump believe that Russia has a right to respond to the drone attack on its long-range bombers. The tactic may well have worked. "President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields," Trump wrote on social media after the call. Did he try to talk Putin out of responding? We don't know, but it doesn't sound like it. If anything, Trump actually announced Russia's retaliation himself. And even though Putin discussed the drone attack with Trump, he still hasn't commented on it in public - four days on.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Russian drones strike dwellings in Ukraine's Kharkiv, injure nine, mayor says
June 5 (Reuters) - Russian drones struck apartment buildings in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, triggering fires and injuring at least nine people, the city's mayor said early on Thursday. Ihor Terekhov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said there had been six strikes in the city. One drone hit an apartment building on the 17th floor, another on the second floor. Emergency services had been dispatched to the sites. Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia. Kharkiv, located 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of Russian drones and missiles in the more than three-year-old war.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
North Korea's Kim says he'll 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told a visiting top Russian official that his country will 'unconditionally support' Russia's war against Ukraine, the North's state media reported Thursday, the latest sign of expanding cooperation between the two nations. In April, the two countries officially confirmed North Korean troops' deployment to Russia for the first time, saying that soldiers of the two countries were fighting alongside each other to repel a Ukrainian incursion into Russia's Kursk border region. At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korea's participation in the war and promised not to forget their sacrifices. In a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Kim affirmed that North Korea will 'unconditionally support the stand of Russia and its foreign policies in all the crucial international political issues including the Ukrainian issue,' the official Korean Central News Agency said. He expressed 'conviction that Russia would, as ever, surely win victory in the sacred cause of justice for defending national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests,' KCNA reported. The two discussed how to solidify strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia and reached a consensus on the Ukraine issue and other unspecified international situations, KCNA said. It didn't elaborate. Shoigu last visited North Korea in March for a meeting with Kim. North Korea and Russia haven't said how many North Korean troops are in Russia. But U.S., South Korean and Ukraine intelligence officials earlier said North Korea dispatched 10,000-12,000 troops to Russia last fall in its first participation in a major armed conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War. South Korean authorities recently said North Korea sent around 3,000 additional troops to Russia earlier this year. North Korea has been supplying a vast amount of conventional weapons to Russia as well. South Korean, U.S. and their partners believe Russia has provided economic and military assistance to North Korea in return. They worry Russia might also transfer sophisticated technologies to help North Korea enhance its nuclear weapons program targeting its rivals.
