The Security Service of Ukraine exposed a group of civic "activists" who were preparing a series of provocations in Kyiv on 30 June this year.
According to the special service, the group was led by the co-founder of an NGO known for its anti-Ukrainian actions since 2015.
Under the guise of holding a so-called "veche", the attackers planned to announce the "removal from power" of the current military and political leadership of Ukraine.
Then they hoped to seize the building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and block its work.
In order to gather people, the organisers were supposed to hold an allegedly peaceful assembly in the centre of the capital. However, most of the participants of the event were to be used "in the dark" - without disclosing their true intentions regarding provocations.
The perpetrators planned to disseminate information about the riot in Kyiv through Ukrainian and foreign information resources. In this way, they hoped to undermine the socio-political situation inside our country, which would have played in Russia's favour.
In order to implement the plan, the main organiser recruited several accomplices - representatives of NGOs from Kyiv, Dnipro and other Regions. For conspiracy purposes, they communicated with each other in various messengers, and if they met, they did so in small groups of three.
The SBU exposed the illegal intentions of the defendants in advance, documented their subversive activities and detained the organisers.
During the searches of the provocateurs' residences, the SBU found weapons and ammunition, as well as mobile phones, computer equipment and draft records with evidence of criminal actions.
SBU investigators have served the detainees a notice of suspicion under p. 1, 2, 3 of Art. 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (actions and calls for actions aimed at violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power).
The detainees were detained as a measure of restraint in the form of custody. The investigation is ongoing to establish all the circumstances of the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The offenders face up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.