A 43-year-old man was arrested in Kyiv for attempting to kill a police unit by luring them to a booby trap using a fake distress call, allegedly by order of Russian special services.

 Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), in its Tuesday press release, said the incident took place on Nov. 17 in Kyiv’s Pechersk District, when the police received a distress call from a female reporting a domestic violence incident in an apartment in that district.

However, upon police arrival, a booby trap using an F-1 hand grenade was activated. It was later found that the apartment was unoccupied, and the distress call was fake.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, the SBU said.

The SBU said the suspect, who “had already served six sentences for robbery, theft and escaping from prison” was initially tasked by Russian special services to set fire to train relay boxes outside Kyiv. He was then given “step-by-step instructions for committing the terrorist attack against Ukrainian law enforcement officers.”

Advertisement

The SBU did not specify which branch of Russia’s special services was involved, though it said “a mobile phone, SIM cards and clothes containing evidence of criminal activities were seized” during subsequent searches.

The suspect was charged with committing a terrorist act and faces 12 years in prison along with confiscation of property if convicted.

Euromaidan Revolution: How It Happened. The Story of a Participant
Other Topics of Interest

Euromaidan Revolution: How It Happened. The Story of a Participant

Kyiv Post exclusive interview with one of the Maidan’s defenders
To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter