The Security Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, have detained a further five Russian agents.
The suspects set fire to vehicles belonging to the Defence Forces and volunteer organisations in various regions of the country, the SBU reported on its website.
In the Kyiv region, counter-intelligence officers exposed a postal worker from Bila Tserkva who set fire to a lorry belonging to a local entrepreneur and volunteer. The occupiers recruited him via a dating website, creating a fake account of a woman who persuaded the man to carry out the enemy’s tasks. Following instructions from a handler in Russia, the suspect bought firelighter and set a volunteer vehicle alight. Law enforcement detained him within 24 hours of the crime.
In Lviv, officers detained an unemployed resident of Bukovyna who, on the instructions of handlers, tried to burn two military vehicles. The man was looking for easy money on Telegram channels, where he was spotted by the enemy. The suspect agreed the targets with his handler, bought petrol at a filling station, set the vehicles on fire and filmed it as a report.
Another recruited unemployed man was detained in Zaporizhzhia. He set fire to a lorry parked at the roadside in Kyiv, using 5 litres of fuel from a petrol station.
In Ternopil, counter-intelligence exposed a student whom the occupiers recruited “under a false flag”, posing as law enforcement officers, and tasked with destroying two cargo vans. The suspect was detained red-handed during a video call with his handler as he was heading to the site of the planned crime. Using a similar scheme, the Russians also recruited a resident of Kremenets district, ordering him to set fire to the main entrance of a branch of one of Ternopil’s banks.
During searches, officers seized mobile phones containing evidence of collaboration with the enemy, clothing bearing traces of the crimes, and arson materials.
Investigators have now served the detainees with suspicion notices for deliberate destruction of property and obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The suspects face up to 10 years in prison. In addition, law enforcement are considering whether the suspects’ actions should be classified as treason under martial law.