A series of terrorist attacks was prepared in Kyiv and Lviv on behalf of the Russian special services: what is known?

Prosecutors from the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have filed charges against four Ukrainian citizens allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence. They were detained on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in Kyiv and Lviv.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the SBU Office in the Lviv region, the men were preparing a series of large-scale explosions in construction hypermarkets and near cafes in Kyiv on the eve of May 9.

«According to the case file, the agents received their orders from Russian handler Yuriy Syzov, an operative of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (commonly known as the GRU)», — the statement said.

Following Syzov’s instructions, the agents arrived in Kyiv. There they planted explosive devices in three construction hypermarkets. These improvised explosives were disguised as tea bags and were intended to detonate in the stores, causing maximum civilian casualties.

The Security Service arrested the enemy agents while they were placing the explosive devices in a Kyiv hypermarket. Two additional members of the group were later detained. These individuals turned out to be smugglers who had transported the explosives from Russia for use in the terrorist attacks.

Additionally, the investigation revealed that Syzov was also behind a planned sabotage operation in Lviv Region, which was set to occur in February 2024. The two other defendants had been tasked with planting explosive devices at a defense enterprise in Lviv, following instructions from Russian special services.

«Thanks to the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, the terrorist attacks were prevented in time. All 15 explosive devices disguised as food were detected in Kyiv and neutralized by law enforcement. Another four improvised explosive devices were previously seized in Lviv.»

What are the charges?

All of the defendants face charges of illegal handling of explosives and explosive devices (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

In addition, one of the individuals is charged with high treason and attempted sabotage (Article 111(2), Article 15(2), Article 113(2)), while another faces charges of an unfinished attempt to commit a terrorist act (Article 15(3), Article 258(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Furthermore, two participants are charged with organizing the illegal crossing of the Ukrainian-Russian state border (Part 2, Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Additional Context

As a reminder, a series of arson attacks occurred in Lviv on the night of 18 September. All fires were extinguished without injuries. District administrations have forwarded the information to law enforcement for further investigation.