Russian agent caught planting explosives in Ukrainian apartment building
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has arrested a Russian agent “caught red-handed” while attempting to plant explosives in a residential apartment building in the western city of Rivne, the agency announced on Tuesday.
According to the SBU, the suspect, a 27-year-old resident of Lviv, had been recruited by Russian special services via Telegram, lured by the promise of “easy money.” He allegedly installed an improvised explosive device (IED) in a rented apartment located in Rivne’s city center, News.Az reports, citing Kyiv Independent.
Authorities said the explosive was intended to be detonated remotely, with the goal of causing mass civilian casualties, widespread injuries, and panic in the region.
“The timely intervention of the SBU prevented a terrorist act with potentially devastating consequences,” the agency stated.
The man is currently in custody and faces multiple charges under Ukraine’s Criminal Code, including aiding and abetting a terrorist act, conspiracy with a group, and unlawful handling of explosives. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison and the confiscation of his property.
The SBU has warned that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) often targets vulnerable individuals, such as the unemployed, people with criminal records, or drug addicts, to carry out destabilization efforts on Ukrainian soil.
This arrest is the latest in a series of counter-terrorism operations the SBU has conducted since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, aimed at preventing sabotage and attacks on both military and civilian infrastructure.
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