SBU, National Police Prevent Terrorist Attack In Ivano-Frankivsk

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The counterintelligence unit of Ukraine's SBU State Security Service and the National Police have thwarted an attempt by Russia's FSB to detonate an improvised explosive device in the central park of Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to the SBU press center , the attack was foiled thanks to a 15-year-old local schoolgirl who reported the FSB's recruitment attempt via the SBU's "Report an FSB Agent" chatbot.

The case materials reveal that a Russian intelligence operative had contacted the girl through a messenger app and offered her money in exchange for cooperation.

During a special operation, Ukrainian law enforcement uncovered that the girl was instructed by the FSB to assemble an IED, reinforce it with metal nuts, and conceal it inside a thermos.

To avoid arousing suspicion from her family, the FSB handler directed her to build the device in a rented apartment.

Later, the Russian operative instructed her to place the hidden explosive in the city park during peak hours, when the park would be most crowded.

According to the SBU, the FSB had planned to remotely detonate the device -- killing both civilians and the girl herself, effectively eliminating her as a witness.

"When the girl refused to deliver the device to the city center, the FSB agent threatened to report her to the SBU," the agency said.

Read also: SBU detains FSB agent who helped Russia prepare new strike on Lviv region

However, Ukrainian law enforcement had been monitoring her every step. As a result, they not only prevented the attack but also documented the entire process -- from the recruitment attempt to the planned detonation by Russian operatives.

A criminal investigation is now underway under Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (war crimes). Authorities are working to identify all Russian nationals involved in orchestrating the attempted attack.

The operation was carried out by SBU officers in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in coordination with the regional prosecutor's office.

The SBU also reminded the public to report any recruitment attempts via its chatbot "Report an FSB Agent" to avoid becoming an unwitting participant in terrorist attacks.

A court in Mykolaiv recently ordered the pre-trial detention of an 18-year-old Kyiv region resident accused of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack near a military recruitment center.

Photo credit: SBU

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