The Security Service and the National Police have apprehended five russian agents who committed a terrorist attack in downtown Zhytomyr on 20 November this year. The explosion injured one law enforcement officer who was at the scene.

According to the investigation, the perpetrators acted on the orders of russian intelligence services, which recruited them through Telegram when the men were looking for ‘quick money’.

To commit the terrorist attack, the individuals remotely detonated an improvised explosive device near the building of the local district police department.

Following the instructions of their russian handlers, they stuffed the explosive with nails, disguised it in a thermos and detonated it remotely using a mobile phone.

They also installed hidden video cameras at the scene, which recorded the explosion in real time.

All five terrorists, who acted separately from each other, were detained in hot pursuit as a result of a special operation in the city. Among them was a 46-year-old Kharkiv resident who had twice served a sentence for robbery and burglary.

The repeat offender bought the explosive components and hid in a prepared cache.

Further, Zhytomyr residents aged 15, 16, 18 and 20 carried out the enemy tasks. Two of them took the components from the cache and, according to the schemes provided by russia, made an explosive device in a rented apartment.

The other two accomplices installed video cameras near the target site, planted explosives there and blew them up.

During the searches, the SSU seized components of the IED, SIM cards and mobile phones with evidence of the crime.

SSU investigators notified the detainees of suspicion under Article 258.2 of the CCU (terrorist act, committed upon prior conspiracy).

The suspects are in custody and face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Zhytomyr region jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.