Kharkiv detains FSB agent who made 12 kg of explosives for terrorist attacks
The Security Service of Ukraine’s Counterintelligence Directorate has thwarted a new series of terrorist attacks in Kharkiv. Law enforcement officers detained an FSB agent who was planning a series of bombings in the frontline city. It was reported in a statement by the SSU.
The investigation revealed that the perpetrator received instructions from the aggressor country, the russian federation, to manufacture two improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The bombs were to be based on 12 kg of explosive material, which he was to manufacture himself and equip with mobile phones for remote activation.
The perpetrator planned to plant the finished explosives in the city center and “report” to his FSB handler.
The russians also hoped to detonate the devices during rush hour when the largest concentration of civilians was on the streets of Kharkiv.
"SSU officers uncovered the enemy’s plot in advance and apprehended the agent in June 2026 in a rented apartment while he was in the act. At that moment, he was on a video call with a Russian intelligence officer who was instructing him on how to manufacture the explosive device," the security service reported.
According to the case file, the FSB’s mission was carried out by an unemployed resident of the Kirovohrad region who had been recruited by the enemy. He came to the attention of the russian intelligence service while searching for “easy money” on Telegram channels.
After recruitment, the russians sent the agent to Kharkiv. There, he rented an apartment and purchased components for making homemade bombs.
During searches, over 12 kg of explosives, other components for improvised explosive devices, and mobile phones—which he changed to conceal his contacts with the FSB—were seized from the detainee.
Security Service investigators informed the agent that he is suspected of preparing to commit a terrorist act as part of a premeditated conspiracy by a group of individuals (Part 1 of Article 14, Part 2 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
"Following the completion of the forensic examinations initiated by the SSU, additional charges are planned against the suspect for the illegal manufacture and handling of explosives," the security service officials added.
The suspect is being held in custody without the right to bail. He faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the Security Service and the National Police detained two more accomplices of the aggressor country, the russian federation, in various regions of Ukraine. The suspects helped the russians carry out repressions against the civilian population during the occupation of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Regions in 2022.