Two teenagers have been arrested in Poltava for plotting to blow up a car carrying Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers
In Poltava, law enforcement officers foiled an attempted terrorist attack which, according to the investigation, was being planned against Ukrainian military personnel. The SBU and the National Police reported the arrest of two underage Russian agents.
According to the investigation, the suspects had manufactured a homemade explosive device which they planned to plant under a vehicle belonging to Ukrainian soldiers. Afterwards, as the SBU claims, Russian special services were to remotely detonate the explosive as Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel approached the booby-trapped vehicle.
Law enforcement officials stated that they had uncovered these plans in time. The suspects were detained in a hotel room just as they were, according to the investigation, assembling the explosive device.
Investigators believe that two 16-year-old local residents were involved in carrying out the order. According to the SBU, they came to the attention of Russian handlers via Telegram channels, where they were looking for “easy money”.
After this, it is reported, the teenagers received instructions from a Russian representative on how to make a homemade bomb using improvised materials. The next step, according to the investigation, was to identify the parking location of a military vehicle and coordinate this information with a Russian intelligence officer.
During searches of the detainees’ premises, a homemade explosive device prepared for the attack and smartphones were seized; according to law enforcement officials, these contain evidence of criminal activity.
Both suspects have already been notified of the charges against them. They are accused of preparing a terrorist act committed by a group of individuals acting in concert, as well as the deliberate destruction or damage of property.
According to the investigation, the charges relate to Part 1 of Article 14, Part 2 of Article 258, and Part 2 of Article 194 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
If found guilty, the suspects face up to 12 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Comprehensive measures were carried out by SBU officers in the Poltava region in conjunction with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor’s office.
As a reminder, the SBU detained a military officer suspected of working for the special services of Russia and Belarus
