Ukrainian Security Service Foils FSB Plot, Arrests Agents Planning Terror Attacks in Kyiv and Zhytomyr

Ukrainian Counterintelligence Thwarts Russian Terror Plot

According to Главком: Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), in a joint operation with the National Police, has apprehended two Russian agents who were preparing to carry out terrorist attacks in Kyiv and Zhytomyr. The women were constructing improvised explosive devices under the direction of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). They have been formally charged under articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. This operation highlights the persistent threat of sabotage and terror tactics employed by Russian intelligence on Ukrainian soil.

The arrests were made by SBU officers in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, with procedural oversight from the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office. The agents were building bombs intended for detonation in crowded public areas of the capital and Zhytomyr. The suspects are a 24-year-old contract service member of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and her 25-year-old accomplice, both of whom were part of an extensive FSB agent network.

Details of the Operation and Wider Network

This cell is linked to a group where three other members were arrested in December 2025 following a terrorist attack in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district. The newly arrested women were recruited by the occupiers through a Telegram channel promising easy money. They had rented an apartment in Zhytomyr, which they converted into a clandestine lab for manufacturing explosives, sourcing components from various stores and markets.

The agents were caught in the act of assembling their first explosive device. Searches uncovered bomb components and smartphones containing evidence of their work for the enemy. SBU investigators have notified the detainees of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 2 of Article 258 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. The suspects are now in custody and face up to 12 years of imprisonment with property confiscation.

In related counterintelligence operations, the SBU also prevented planned attacks in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Uman, and Odesa. Another individual detained was an agent of Russian military intelligence (GRU), a 55-year-old former law enforcement officer from the Odesa region. He was preparing caches of explosives and planned to use homemade devices to target vehicles of the Defense Forces.

The arrest of these Russian agents demonstrates the intensified activity of Russian special services within the context of the armed conflict and the elevated threat of terrorist acts.

Security Service of Ukraine

The Security Service of Ukraine continues its work to identify and neutralize threats to public safety, a critical component of national defense during wartime. To prevent similar incidents, law enforcement is strengthening oversight of individuals who may be involved in terrorist activities.