Terrorist attack in the centre of Lviv: 33-year-old resident of Rivne region notified of suspicion
Under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor's Office, a 33-year-old resident of Kostopol, Rivne Region, has been notified of suspicion of committing a terrorist act that resulted in the death of a person, as well as illegal handling of weapons. This refers to part three of Article 258 and part one of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Nazar Markiv, head of the department for monitoring compliance with the law by regional security agencies, said that the suspicion is based on objective evidence indicating the detainee's involvement in a terrorist attack that killed a 23-year-old police officer and injured more than 20 people.
According to the National Police, on the night of 22 February, at around 00:30, the 102 emergency line received a report of an alleged break-in at a shop on Danylyshyna Street. After the first patrol police crew arrived, an explosion occurred. When the second crew arrived at the scene, another explosion occurred.
It has been preliminarily established that homemade explosive devices placed in rubbish bins detonated. The day before, between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., two homemade explosive devices were placed at 20 Danylyshyna Street. According to the investigation, this was done by a resident of Rivne region, who had been temporarily living in Lviv since September.
A 23-year-old police officer was killed in the attack. Another 25 people were injured to varying degrees, 11 of whom were hospitalised, and six law enforcement officers are in serious condition.
After planting the explosive devices, the woman left the scene in a taxi. The explosives were probably activated remotely. According to law enforcement officials, a call about an alleged break-in at the store came from the Kharkiv region from a person who has already been identified by the investigation.
The woman was detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine in Staryi Sambir. Operatives and investigators from the Lviv police, criminal analysts, forensic experts, bomb disposal experts, dog handlers, and border guards from the 7th Carpathian Border Guard Detachment were involved in solving the crime.
The investigation is ongoing. Searches are being conducted at the places of residence and stay of the detainee, and evidence of illegal activity has been seized. A petition is being prepared to the court for a preventive measure in the form of detention without the right to bail.
The investigation is also establishing the involvement of representatives of the Russian Federation in the terrorist attack. According to the police, the woman acted on the instructions of the so-called curator of the Russian special services and made homemade explosive devices.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in the Lviv region with the operational support of the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Lviv region and the 7th Carpathian Border Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict.
