SBU detained a Russian agent who was preparing an attack in central Rivne Counterintelligence of the Security Service p...

SBU detained a Russian agent who was preparing an attack in central Rivne

Counterintelligence of the Security Service prevented a high-profile terrorist attack in Rivne. As a result of preemptive actions, a Russian agent who was preparing an explosion near one of the government buildings in the city center was detained.

The investigation found that the suspect planted an improvised explosive device in a garbage bin near the administrative building and “reported” this to his curator from Russia via a messenger.

The Russians then planned to remotely detonate the explosive device during rush hour to cause the maximum number of civilian casualties.

In this way the enemy hoped to destabilize the socio-political situation in the border region of Ukraine.

SBU officers exposed the hostile plan in advance and detained the agent "red-handed" as he tried to hastily flee the scene of the planned attack.

At the same time, the improvised bomb was seized and neutralized.

According to the investigation, the order from the aggressor country was carried out by a courier of a local delivery service who had been recruited by the Russians. He came to the attention of Russian intelligence through Telegram channels advertising “easy earnings.”

After recruitment, the agent, under the pretext of making deliveries, rode around the city on a moped to film the external perimeters and parking lots of government facilities with his phone camera.

In this way the perpetrator scouted locations for committing the terrorist act, which he regularly “reported” to his Russian handler.

Later the Russian intelligence officer sent his accomplice the coordinates of a stash from which he later retrieved the remotely activated improvised explosive device.

During searches, the detainee’s smartphone was seized; it contained the reconnaissance photos he had collected and was used to contact the Russian intelligence officer.

Investigators of the SBU have notified the agent of suspicion under part 2 of Art. 15, part 2 of Art. 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (completed attempt to commit a terrorist act).

The perpetrator is held in custody without the right to post bail. He faces up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

In addition, the question of additionally qualifying the detainee’s crimes as treason is being considered.

Complex measures were carried out by SBU officers in the Rivne region under the procedural supervision of the regional prosecutor’s office.