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Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has foiled an alleged Russian plot to bomb a bus carrying Ukrainian soldiers in the northwestern city of Rivne, detaining a 19-year-old student suspected of preparing the attack, the SBU and Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office said on Oct. 12.
According to the SBU, the suspect planted an improvised explosive device under a bus transporting "an entire unit" of Ukrainian soldiers and installed a remotely accessible camera disguised in a juice box opposite the parking area to monitor the vehicle.
Russian intelligence operatives planned to detonate the bomb once the soldiers boarded the bus and were moving to their permanent deployment location, the SBU said.
The suspect acted in exchange for money after being recruited by Russian intelligence services through Telegram channels offering quick earnings, according to the SBU.
After arriving in Rivne, he allegedly collected the explosives from a hiding place designated by his Russian handler and planted the device under the military vehicle. The explosive device was reinforced with two glass bottles containing flammable liquid, the SBU said.
SBU officers discovered the plot, neutralized the explosives, and detained the suspect at the city's bus station when he attempted to leave for Kyiv. Investigators also seized his phone, which the SBU said he had used to report the planted device to his Russian handler.
The Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office said the suspect had been formally notified of suspicion of an attempted terrorist attack. A court ordered his detention without bail. If convicted, he faces up to eight years in prison and possible confiscation of property.
The SBU said it had foiled a series of alleged terrorist plots prepared by Russian intelligence services in Rivne this year. Previous alleged plots targeted a park area and administrative buildings in the city center.