Law enforcement officers detained two Ukrainians who were preparing a terror attack in the city of Kyiv and were coordinated by Russian intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed on Oct. 23.
According to the statement, the suspects planned to detonate improvised explosives in a crowded place in Ukraine's capital to cause "the maximum number of civilian deaths" and sow panic.
Throughout the full-scale war, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have accused numerous citizens of spying or otherwise cooperating with Russian security services.
Russian intelligence allegedly recruited a 20-year-old resident of the city of Zaporizhzhia via Telegram and instructed her on how to make explosives. She also engaged her 26-year-old partner to cooperate, the SBU said.
The SBU claimed that the suspect was in contact with a Russian military intelligence officer from the Russian-occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. She used two cell phones to connect a detonator with plastic explosives, which she had to get from a hidden cache, according to the law enforcement agency.
Before the planned terror attack, the two were supposed to fulfill a "test task" and set on fire several vehicles of the Ukrainian military in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The SBU detained both of them when they tried to set fire to an infantry fighting vehicle.
If charged, the suspects may face life in prison with confiscation of property.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
