Ukraine's SBU says it detained two suspects behind a car bombing near one of its buildings in central Kyiv on 11 February, carried out on Russian orders, the security service reported on 16 February. Russian handlers had a van converted into what appeared to be a medical evacuation vehicle, while the suspects built and planted the bomb inside. Russian operatives monitored the scene via a hidden webcam and detonated it remotely, but premature detonation left no casualties, the SBU and police reported.
Deserter recruited by Russia posed as Ukrainian intelligence officer
The SBU reported on 16 February that its Main Directorate of Internal Security arrested both suspects within 24 hours. According to the investigation, a 47-year-old Ukrainian army serviceman recruited by Russian intelligence deserted his unit in Sumy Oblast and went into hiding in western Ukraine, the agency said. On his Russian handler's instructions, he reportedly recruited a 29-year-old accomplice from Kyiv by posing as a Ukrainian intelligence officer. He tasked the man with building a homemade explosive device with remote activation.
The National Police, which conducted the operation jointly with the SBU, described the older suspect as a foreign national. The KORD special unit assisted in the arrest, the police added.
Fake medevac van rigged with gas cylinders and a webcam
Russian handlers purchased a used Peugeot Partner van through intermediaries and ordered it converted into what appeared to be a medical evacuation vehicle for wounded soldiers, the SBU reported. The sellers installed oxygen and gas cylinders in the cabin, along with a webcam with remote access.
In reality, the gas equipment was meant to amplify the blast, while the camera let Russian intelligence monitor the van's parking spot near the planned attack site, SBU stated. After assembling the IED, the suspects placed it inside the van and quickly left the scene. Russian operatives then detonated the vehicle remotely.
The explosion took place in Kyiv's Holosiivskyi district, the National Police reported. The detonation occurred prematurely, and no one was injured.
Evidence of further planned attacks
Searches at the suspects' residences turned up bomb-making components, surveillance cameras, and SIM cards prepared for future attacks, the SBU reported. Police also seized instructions for making explosives and pyrotechnic grenades. Messages found on one suspect's phone contained reports to the Russian handler about completed tasks, according to the National Police.
SBU investigators charged both suspects under Part 2 of Article 258 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (terrorist act). They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. The joint operation involved the National Police, SBU investigators in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, under prosecution oversight.
