2 FSB agents sentenced for deadly military recruitment center bombing in Ukraine

SBU officers detained both men within 24 hours of the bombing and documented their ties to Russia's FSB, the agency said.

The investigation found the Russian agents were a local man with a drug addiction and a vocational college student who was 17 at the time of the crime. Both were recruited through a Telegram channel advertising "easy money." The two acted independently of each other but followed instructions from the same FSB handler.

Under the handler's instructions, the minor built a homemade explosive device with remote detonation, packed with metal nuts. He left the device in a pre-arranged hiding spot and reported back to his handler.

The second agent was tasked with retrieving the explosive from the hiding spot and delivering it to the district recruitment center for detonation.

To carry out the task, he first conducted reconnaissance near the military facility and installed a hidden phone camera with remote access. Fearing he would be eliminated as an "unnecessary witness," he unknowingly enlisted a courier to deliver the explosive device to the target location disguised as an ordinary package.

After the delivery worker arrived at the location, Russian operatives remotely detonated the device. One person was killed and seven others were injured in the blast.

Searches of the detained men turned up mobile phones containing evidence of contact with the FSB, as well as tools and components for making homemade explosive devices.

Based on evidence gathered by SBU investigators, a court found both men guilty on several counts under Ukraine's Criminal Code:

• Article 111, Part 2 (treason committed under martial law)
• Article 258, Part 3 (a terrorist act resulting in death)
• Article 263, Part 1 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives)
• Article 263-1, Part 2 (illegal manufacturing of explosives by a group acting in prior conspiracy)

The man who delivered the bomb was sentenced to life in prison with confiscation of property. The second agent, who was a minor at the time of the crime, was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

An explosion occurred near the recruitment center in Kamyanets-Podilskyi, in Khmelnytskyi Oblast, on Feb. 5, 2025. A courier who delivered a package to the recruitment center building — which turned out to be the explosive device — was killed.

On Feb. 17, 2025, the SBU announced the detention of two suspects in the case, saying they were detained within 24 hours of the explosion and that their ties to the Russian intelligence service were subsequently documented.