The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has said it caught terrorists affiliated with Russia’s Main Directorate of General Staff (GRU) on May 9 in the act of planting explosive devices in a major hypermarket chain among other targets in the capital.
SBU officials close to the case told the Kyiv Post about the arrests on condition of anonymity, but declined to divulge details.
However, a spokesperson for the security service said in a statement: “The SBU acted preemptively, apprehending the perpetrators red-handed. Substantial evidence has been amassed, unequivocally tracing back to Russian involvement.”
The plot reportedly centered on concealing improvised explosive devices in cartons of tea bags with the intention of creating large fires at peak shopping time. Another attack was allegedly planned involving a car bomb outside a popular cafe in the city.
The terrorist attack was timed to coincide with May 9 celebrations of the Red Army’s victory over the Nazis in World War II.
The head of the SBU said the plot demonstrated the Russian special services’ “malevolent nature” and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The SBU’s Counterintelligence Division identified Yuriy Syzov, a GRU officer, as the instigator of the planned attacks. Syzov was previously implicated in a failed sabotage attempt in Lviv in February, the Kyiv post reported.
However, a spokesperson for the security service said in a statement: “The SBU acted preemptively, apprehending the perpetrators red-handed. Substantial evidence has been amassed, unequivocally tracing back to Russian involvement.”
The plot reportedly centered on concealing improvised explosive devices in cartons of tea bags with the intention of creating large fires at peak shopping time. Another attack was allegedly planned involving a car bomb outside a popular cafe in the city.
The terrorist attack was timed to coincide with May 9 celebrations of the Red Army’s victory over the Nazis in World War II.
The head of the SBU said the plot demonstrated the Russian special services’ “malevolent nature” and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The SBU’s Counterintelligence Division identified Yuriy Syzov, a GRU officer, as the instigator of the planned attacks. Syzov was previously implicated in a failed sabotage attempt in Lviv in February, the Kyiv post reported.
Source: Kyiv Post
More In Politics MORE...
