The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) uncovered a group of Russian agents who planned to carry out a mass terror attack involving a 16-year-old boy against a Ukrainian military unit in Kyiv Oblast, the SBU claimed on Jan. 6.
The boy, disguised as a soldier, was allegedly instructed to plant explosives at an entrance to a military facility premises in December 2024. The plotters then intended to detonate the explosives remotely, killing the boy as well, the Prosecutor General's Office said, adding that the boy was not aware he was to be killed as part of the attack.
Russia has been repeatedly accused of recruiting underage Ukrainians for sabotage operations against the Ukrainian military across the country.
The four suspects accused of involvement in the plot acted separately but under instructions of a single Russian handler, the SBU said. The weapons for the alleged terror attack had been previously manufactured by two residents of Vinnytsia Oblast.
The boy arrived in Kyiv Oblast and settled in a hotel. According to the statement, he picked up a backpack with an explosive device and a military uniform left in a designated place. They were brought there earlier by another 19-year-old man, the SBU said.
After changing his clothes, the minor arrived at the place and planted the explosives, which were disguised in the backpack, the SBU said. The counterintelligence agency reportedly uncovered the plot in advance and prevented the terror attack.
All four suspects were detained. If charged, they can face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Oleg Sukhov
