Russian Agent Tried to Blow Up Servicemember in Central Mykolaiv

Counterintelligence officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) arrested a Russian intelligence agent in Mykolaiv as he was planting an improvised explosive device (IED) under the car of a member of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The SSU announced the arrest on its website.

According to investigators, the suspect was a mobilized serviceman from the Bashtanka district ofMykolaiv region who had deserted his military unit.

After leaving his unit, he contacted Russian intelligence operatives through Telegram channels, where he was looking for ways to make money. Following instructions from his handler, he conducted surveillance of the Ukrainian servicemember’s vehicle and reported that he was ready to carry out the attack.

The handler then provided the coordinates of a hidden cache containing an improvised explosive device (IED), which the suspect was instructed to plant underneath the Ukrainian servicemember’s car.

SSU officers arrested the suspect as he was attempting to plant the explosive device.

The investigation also found that the suspect had been carrying out another assignment for Russian intelligence: registering Starlink satellite terminals for use by Russian forces.

He initially registered one terminal in his own name and passed its registration details to his handler. He then attempted to register additional terminals by involving his wife and ten people with drug addiction, who agreed to provide their passport details in exchange for payment.

According to the SSU, Russian forces planned to use the terminals to maintain communications and coordinate missile, artillery, and drone strikes on the southern front.

During searches, investigators seized the suspect’s smartphone, which contained evidence of his communications with his Russian handler. The illegally registered Starlink terminal was also blocked.

The suspect remains in custody without the possibility of bail. He has been charged with high treason and attempted commission of a terrorist act. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Previously, the Security Service of Ukraine’s counterintelligence officers thwarted a planned double terrorist attack that Russian intelligence services were allegedly preparing in central Ivano-Frankivsk.