Ukrainian Security Service thwarts terrorist attack on Kyiv police

The Russian agent, acting on instructions from the enemy intelligence services, planned to carry out the attack on Nov. 17 in Kyiv's Pecherskyi district.

"That day, a police unit responded to a call reporting domestic violence in an apartment building," the SBU said.

"As officers attempted to enter the premises, an F-1 grenade rigged as a tripwire detonated at the entrance."

The investigation found that the apartment was unoccupied and the emergency call, made in a woman's voice, was fake — intended to lure the police into a deadly trap.

“This terrorist act was orchestrated by Russian intelligence services," the officers concluded.

"They remotely engaged a 43-year-old resident of Kyiv Oblast, who had been previously convicted six times for robbery, theft, and prison escape.”

Before setting up the tripwire, the agent completed a "test task" by setting fire to a relay cabinet belonging to Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s railway operator, on the Kyiv outskirts. He reportedly sent video proof of this act to his handler.

The suspect followed step-by-step instructions to execute the attack against Ukrainian officers, law enforcement reported. He rented an apartment in central Kyiv, installed the tripwire with the live grenade, and set up cameras to livestream the explosion in real-time.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the explosion, and the suspect was apprehended shortly afterward.

During a search of the suspect’s residence, police seized a mobile phone, SIM cards, and clothing containing evidence of his involvement in the crime.

The SBU has charged the suspect under Article 258, Part 2, of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which pertains to acts of terrorism. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison with property confiscation.