Planned terror campaign: SBU says it uncovered nine FSB agents, including five teenagers

The spy network operated across four regions of Ukraine. According to investigators, the suspects were plotting explosions in residential areas and near bases of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. They also intended to blow up key bridges and main railway lines belonging to Ukrzaliznytsia to disrupt Ukrainian military logistics.

The SBU said the suspects, all local residents, were working under the direction of two FSB operatives who had recruited them via Telegram channels.

One group of agents was tasked with making improvised explosive devices and hiding them in caches. Another group retrieved the devices and planted them at planned target sites. The operatives also installed hidden cameras, which the Russian occupiers intended to use for remote detonation.

SBU officers apprehended all members of the FSB network as they were preparing to carry out the first wave of attacks. Authorities seized more than 30 kilograms of explosives.

Four suspects have been formally charged under Part 2 of Article 111 (treason) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of explosives) of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.

Two FSB officers who directed the operation have been charged in absentia. The SBU added that legal decisions regarding the involvement of the underage suspects are still being considered.

On April 2, SBU spokesperson Artem Dekhtiarenko said nearly one in five Ukrainians recruited by Russian intelligence services to carry out missions inside Ukraine is a minor. These youths are often used for sabotage or terrorist attacks, including targeting military enlistment offices and police buildings.