Russia intensifies efforts to recruit Ukrainians - SBU
Russian special services are impersonating Ukrainian law enforcement officers and coercing Ukrainian civilians into preparing arson attacks, acts of terrorism, and sabotage, the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported Monday, noting that the enemy has increased the frequency of such operations.
"During such operations, Russian agents telephone or message people, posing as employees of the SBU, the Main Intelligence Directorate, NABU, the National Police, and other law enforcement agencies," the SBU stated on Telegram.
According to the service, Russian operatives are also using online dating platforms to obtain personal data, or are threatening individuals with criminal liability — for example, for allegedly purchasing pharmaceutical products on Russian websites. Russian special services are additionally demanding money purportedly to close fabricated criminal proceedings, or are recruiting individuals to carry out arson attacks on administrative buildings, Defence Forces vehicles, and similar targets.
The SBU outlined two primary recruitment schemes currently in use.
In the first, Russian operatives send Ukrainians fake "summonses" via messaging applications demanding they appear before an SBU investigator or other law enforcement body in connection with an allegedly opened criminal proceeding. Contact is then made by telephone, with the caller posing as a Ukrainian law enforcement officer and offering to help "close the criminal proceedings" in exchange for the target carrying out assigned tasks.
In the second scheme, Russian special service representatives create fake female profiles on online dating platforms, communicate with Ukrainian men, and extract their personal data and contacts. A Russian handler subsequently contacts the user, posing as an SBU officer and accusing them of cooperating with Russia — on the basis of their communication with the fictitious female profile, who is alleged to be linked to enemy special services. To avoid purported criminal liability, the target is offered the opportunity to cooperate.
Individuals recruited through these methods are coerced into carrying out a range of illegal activities, including: surveilling specific persons, transporting packages between addresses, acquiring chemical components and assembling improvised explosive devices, carrying out arson attacks on Defence Forces vehicles or administrative buildings, and preparing acts of terrorism or sabotage against critical facilities.
"The Security Service of Ukraine once again calls on citizens to maintain information hygiene and to exercise caution in contacts with unknown individuals," the SBU stated, adding that the Service operates exclusively within the framework of current Ukrainian legislation and that its representatives do not issue any dubious instructions.
The SBU urged Ukrainians who receive proposals — via online services, social networks, messaging applications, or other means — to carry out arson, transport unknown objects, conduct surveillance of individuals or vehicles, or engage in other suspicious activity, to report such approaches immediately via the "Burn the FSB agent" chatbot at t.me/spaly_fsb_bot, by telephone at 0 800 501 482, or by email at [email protected].
