Ukrainian counterintelligence has thwarted a chilling plan by Russian agents to use a teenager as an unwitting suicide bomber in a targeted attack on Ukrainian military personnel in the Kyiv region.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the arrest of a group of Russian operatives responsible for the scheme, which involved deploying a makeshift explosive device.
According to an SBU statement, the incident took place in December 2024. A teenage resident of Kirovohrad Oblast was unwittingly recruited by a Russian operative. He was instructed to plant an explosive device near the entrance of a Ukrainian Defense Forces facility in the Kyiv region.
“The enemy planned to detonate the device remotely, along with the teenager, once he entered the premises. The young man was unaware of the full extent of this plan,” the SBU revealed in its statement.
The explosive device was constructed by two women from Vinnytsia, acting under Russian instructions. They left the device in a prearranged location, where another group member later moved it between hiding spots.
The teenager, following instructions received via the messaging app Telegram, traveled to the Kyiv region and checked into a nearby hotel. Dressed in a Ukrainian military uniform provided by his handlers, he retrieved the disguised explosive device — concealed in a backpack — and placed it at the designated location.
Ukrainian security forces intercepted the operation before the device could be detonated, averting what could have been a deadly attack.
During the investigation, authorities seized mobile phones containing evidence of the suspects’ collaboration with Russian operatives. Among the items recovered from one of the agents was 1.5 kilograms of explosive material used to manufacture improvised weapons.
The suspects have been charged under two articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code and are currently in custody without the possibility of bail. If convicted, they face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
This foiled plot underscores Russia’s evolving tactics in its war against Ukraine, including the use of psychological and unconventional warfare. Ukrainian authorities emphasized the importance of vigilance and the continued cooperation of the public in identifying and reporting suspicious activities.