The SSU Counterintelligence has prevented new attempts of ruscists to carry out a series of explosions in Vinnytsia. The special operation resulted in the detention of three agents of russian military intelligence (‘the GRU’) who were preparing to blow up an Armed Forces vehicle and an administrative building of the police.

According to the investigation, the perpetrators were to plant an improvised explosive device under the car of a Ukrainian serviceman, whom the occupiers hoped to eliminate in this way.

To activate the bomb, the GRU planned to make a call to a mobile phone attached to the IED.

The SSU uncovered the hostile intentions at an early stage and detained the suspects as they were setting up a hidden camera near the site of the planned attack.

The detainees are two unemployed women from Kyiv region, who were recruited by the occupiers in Telegram channels offering ‘easy money’.

They arrived in Vinnytsia and rented an apartment for the money provided by the GRU. Next, they received a geolocation of the cache from their handler and took two IEDs from it.

The third member of the group, a 33-year-old local resident, was responsible for manufacturing the bombs. Following the enemy instructions, he put explosives in thermoses and stuffed them with screws.

If they had blown up the AFU car and its owner, the agents were to prepare another terrorist attack near a local police station. However, the SSU foiled their plans.

Two improvised explosive devices and mobile phones with evidence of cooperation with russia’s GRU were seized during searches.

SSU investigators served the detained group notices of suspicion under Article 111.2 of the CCU (high treason, committed under martial law).

The suspects are in custody and face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Vinnytsia region under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.