They were preparing to blow up the soldiers of “Azov” — law enforcement officers prevented a terrorist attack in Zaporizhzhia
- Author:
- Iryna Perepechko
- Date:
Law enforcement officers detained two men in Zaporizhzhia. According to investigators, they worked for Russian special services and were preparing to blow up fighters of the 12th “Azov” Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The investigation found that the case involved men who had served multiple sentences for robbery and drug trafficking. The Russian FSB recruited them through the wife of one of the suspects, who lives in temporarily occupied Berdyansk and works for the Russians.
On instructions from the Russian special services, the agents made an improvised explosive device (IED) and then tracked the cars of Ukrainian soldiers. The men were supposed to plant an IED under the service car of the "Azovians" fighting on the front line.
In addition, the suspects were to install a hidden camera at the site of the planned terrorist attack with an online broadcast for Russian special services. In this way, they wanted to track the moment when the "Azovians" would approach their car and remotely activate the SVP at that moment.
The SBU officers promptly exposed the suspects and detained them. During a search of the home, law enforcement officers seized a ready-made explosive device, additional components for making new explosives, as well as the phones they used to contact the FSB supervisor.
The men are suspected of treason and illegal manufacture of explosives. The perpetrators are currently being held without bail and face life imprisonment.
- The SBU spokesman Artem Dekhtyarenko told the FT in late June that more than 700 people recruited by Russia have been detained in Ukraine since spring 2024. Among them are about 175 teenagers under the age of 18. All of them are involved in espionage, arson and bombings organized remotely by Russian intelligence agents.
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