Russian agents involved in organizing terrorist attack in Dnipro detained
Law enforcement officers detained Russian agents who made an explosive device for a terrorist attack near the territorial recruitment center in Dnipro, which resulted in the death of one person, the Security Service of Ukraine reported on Thursday.
"The Security Service and the National Police detained two more defendants involved in the terrorist attack in Dnipro on December 14, 2024... Now two agents of the aggressor country have been detained, who acted separately from the 'perpetrator' and made him an improvised explosive device (IED). The defendants turned out to be a 33-year-old deserter who voluntarily left the Ukrainian military unit and was hiding in Dnipro, and his 25-year-old wife," the department said in a Telegram message.
The investigation established that while the couple was looking for "easy" money on thematic Telegram channels, they came to the attention of the Russian special services, who subsequently recruited the couple remotely.
It is reported that, following instructions from the special services, they manufactured explosives, then hid them in a bag and placed them in a pre-determined hiding place.
"After that, the traitors remotely monitored how the 'perpetrator' took the IED from the hiding place, which they reported to their Russian curator via messenger. In order for their forays not to arouse suspicion, the defendants took their 3-year-old child with them. After the terrorist attack, the spouses moved to another rented apartment. There they tried to 'cover their tracks' and 'lay low' in order to then continue cooperation with the Russian Federation," the SBU reports.
The National Police and SBU officers detained both perpetrators at their new address of residence; during the search, mobile phones, clothing with evidence of the crimes, as well as Russian instructions for making the IED were seized from them.
Both detainees were notified of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Parts 2 and 3 of Article 258 (a terrorist act committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, resulting in the death of a person); Part 1 of Article 14 (preparation for a crime).
It is indicated that law enforcement officers had previously handed over a notice of suspicion of a terrorist act to the perpetrator of the crime.
"All three perpetrators are in custody. They face life imprisonment with confiscation of property," the report says.
The pretrial investigation is being carried out by investigators of the SBU Directorate in Dnipropetrovsk region, operational support is provided by employees of the SBU and the Main Directorate of the National Police in the region.
As reported, on December 14, 2024, at 14:45, in one of the districts of Dnipro, near the territorial recruitment center, an improvised explosive device exploded. As a result of the terrorist act, a man was killed. Another man and two police officers, who were on duty at the time, were seriously injured. Nearby residential buildings were damaged.
On December 16, law enforcement officers detained a suspect in planting an explosive device.