SBU detains Russian agent planning terrorist attack in Kyiv city center
24 July 2025 17:46
The Security Service of Ukraine has detained a Russian agent who tried to plant explosives in a cafe in the center of the capital on the evening of July 23. This was reported by the SBU, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the investigation, the woman was supposed to leave two improvised explosive devices with a total capacity of almost 1.5 kg of TNT equivalent in the cafe. The explosion was planned to be carried out remotely during rush hour to cause as many civilian casualties as possible.
The law enforcement detained the offender on the spot – she entered the cafe with explosives hidden in her bag.
According to intelligence, the perpetrator was a resident of Kyiv. She was recruited by Russian special services, convincing her that she was performing SBU tasks. Thus, the attack was planned to be carried out “under a false flag”.
The SBU is establishing how the agent received the explosives. She also passed on the geolocation of the attack target to her Russian handlers.
A phone with evidence of contacts with the occupiers was seized from the detainee. The issue of legal qualification of her actions is being resolved.
The SBU emphasizes that the SBU officers never involve unauthorized persons in illegal actions, do not recruit by phone and act exclusively within the law.
“If you receive a suspicious offer or encounter persons posing as SBU employees, immediately contact the hotline 0 800 501 482 or the chatbot ‘Burn the FSB’,” the service emphasized.
