Russian FSB agent group preparing powerful explosions neutralized in Kyiv
Russian FSB agent group preparing powerful explosions neutralized in Kyiv (t.me/SBUkr)
In Kyiv, a covert paramilitary group from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) which was planning a series of powerful explosions targeting military command facilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces located in the Kyiv region has been neutralized, according to Ukraine's Security Service (SSU).
The culprits were apprehended by the SSU's counterintelligence. The hostile group consisted of three individuals.
According to intelligence reports, the adversary's priority targets included units of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense, as well as their backup command posts.
"To carry out acts of sabotage, the conspirators planned to employ up to 10 drones, which they had equipped with makeshift explosive devices," law enforcement officials disclosed.
However, SSU agents acted preemptively, and all members of the Russian group were apprehended when they had already initiated the active phase of their sabotage preparations.
It has been determined that this hostile group was formed in 2018 by a staff member of the 9th Department of the Operational Information Directorate of the 5th Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation.
"The group comprised three individuals (residents of Kyiv and Chernihiv) who, after recruitment, were placed in a waiting mode pending the commencement of a full-scale Russian invasion," the intelligence agency reported.
Each of the individuals had their own specialization in conducting reconnaissance and sabotage activities in favor of the occupiers. One of them manufactured homemade explosive devices, another was responsible for modifying civilian UAVs into combat drones. Another participant directly operated the drones, and she received training in this regard in a course for drone operators in March 2023 in the Kyiv region.
The SSU further added that laboratories for manufacturing explosives and upgrading drones were set up at the suspects' places of residence.
In the spring, members of the group began surveilling the locations of Ukrainian Defense Forces units within Kyiv and the surrounding region.
"Based on the evidence gathered, the collaborators of the adversary have been charged with two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The culprits are in custody and could face up to 15 years in prison," the SSU revealed.
Earlier, it was reported that a saboteur who was preparing to detonate a gas station with multiple casualties was recently apprehended in the act in Kharkiv.
Besides, in September, the SSU and the State Bureau of Investigations exposed the leadership and key saboteurs of Russia's elite special forces, who carried out high-profile sabotage operations not only in Ukraine but also in EU countries.
