Russian-led saboteurs behind bombing near recruitment center caught in Berdychiv

Source: Security Service of Ukraine

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have arrested two Russian agents who set off a homemade bomb near a military recruitment center in Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast.

The incident occurred on December 24, but the SBU and National Police officers captured them within hours.

The first suspect, a 41-year-old former convict and internally displaced person from Mariupol, carried out the bombing. Authorities arrested him just two hours after the explosion. His accomplice, a 23-year-old Berdychiv local, was nabbed a few hours later.

The female accomplice, a drug addict, reportedly came under the radar of Russian intelligence while looking for odd jobs on Telegram channels. Following instructions from her Russian handler, she made the explosive device. Hiding it in a food container, she passed the bomb to the male suspect, who traveled to Berdychiv to carry out the mission.

The saboteur placed the package at the recruitment center’s entrance and detonated it remotely using a mobile phone and a homemade detonator. For added proof of execution, he set up another phone in a box across the street to livestream the explosion to his handler.

Remarkably, no injuries occurred during the attack.

Law enforcement detained the saboteur as he attempted to flee to Kyiv while his accomplice was caught at her partner’s residence in Berdychiv. During searches, investigators seized phones and SIM cards containing incriminating evidence.

Both suspects are facing terrorism charges under Article 258 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.