In collaboration with the National Police and with the support of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service’s Military Counterintelligence thwarted an attempt to illegally sell one of the largest consignments of explosives since the start of the full-scale war.

Following pre-emptive operations in the Kharkiv region, the commander of a mechanised brigade unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was detained for attempting to sell almost 500 kg of TNT.

The investigation revealed that he had been seeking potential buyers via specialised Telegram channels, promising clients that he would deliver the ‘goods’ himself in his service vehicle.

The SSU apprehended the suspect near a military unit in the Chuhuiv district while he was in the process of selling the explosives.

It has been established that the perpetrator stored the TNT in pre-arranged caches in the area close to the front line where his unit was temporarily stationed.

At the scene of the arrest, the officers seized the entire consignment of explosives prepared for sale, along with a smartphone containing evidence of his communications with buyers.

The detainee has now been served with a notice of suspicion under Article 263.1 of the CCU – unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosive substances.

The suspect is in custody and faces up to seven years in prison.

The investigation is ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the offence and identify all those involved.

The case is handled under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Specialised Defence Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern Region.