SBU foils GRU sabotage: foreigners detained in western Ukraine
The SBU and the National Police detained two foreigners who were recruited by the Russian GRU to commit arson in western Ukraine.
This was reported by the press center of the SBU.
According to the investigation, the detainees were 27-year-old citizens of a neighboring European country. They came to Ukraine after being recruited by Russian intelligence and were supposed to carry out a series of sabotage operations.
First, they stayed in a hotel on the outskirts of Chernivtsi. The very next day, they set fire to an administrative building in one of the regions using a flammable mixture. They filmed the arson and immediately sent a “report” to the curator from the GRU.
After that, the Russian special services set them a new task – to continue the arsons in order to destabilize the situation in western Ukraine.
The SBU caught the saboteurs “red-handed” when they were conducting reconnaissance near the village council in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
The investigation found that one of the foreigners was recruited by the GRU through a Telegram channel, where he published statements in support of Russian aggression. Later, he involved an acquaintance in this, and both were “seconded” to Ukraine.
Law enforcement officers declared the detainees suspects under Part 2 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – a terrorist act committed by arson. They face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. The court placed them in custody without the possibility of bail.
The operation was conducted by the SBU in the Chernivtsi region together with the National Police under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor’s office.
It was previously reported thatthe SBU detained a Russian operative in Bukovina who was preparing new Russian strikes on Chernivtsi.
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