The SBU has announced the neutralisation of a "deconsolidated" FSB agent group that was preparing sabotage attacks on the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence in Kyiv Region.
According to the SBU, the group consisted of three people who were preparing a series of powerful explosions at Ukrainian military facilities. Among the aggressor's priority "targets" were units of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, as well as their backup command posts.
The perpetrators planned to use up to 10 drones, which they had specially equipped with improvised explosive devices, to commit the sabotage.
SBU officers detained all members of the group when they started the active phase of preparing the sabotage.
It was established that the hostile group was formed in 2018 by a career officer of the 9th Directorate of the Operational Information Department of the 5th FSB Service. It consisted of three people (residents of Kyiv and Chernihiv) who, after recruitment, were put on "standby" until the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Each of the members of the Russian agent-combat group had a specialisation in conducting reconnaissance and subversive activities in favour of the aggressor country.
For example, one of them manufactured improvised explosive devices, while another was responsible for converting "civilian" unmanned aerial vehicles into attack drones.
Laboratories for the manufacture of explosives and "modernisation" of drones were set up at the defendants' places of residence.
Another member of the enemy group was directly in charge of the drones. In order to acquire the relevant skills, in March this year, the woman took a UAV operator training course in Kyiv Region.
In the spring of this year, the defendants started tracking the locations of the Defence Forces units in the capital region.
Based on the collected evidence, the enemy accomplices were served a notice of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The criminals are in custody. They face up to 15 years in prison.