Teen bombers in Ukraine: recruited, used, and eliminated by Russian special services
Teen bombers in Ukraine: recruited, used, and eliminated by Russian special services
Teen Bombers in Ukraine: Recruited, Used, and Eliminated by Russian Special Services
The SBU warned that Russian intelligence services have adopted a new tactic: exploiting recruits “in the dark” and then eliminating them as unwanted witnesses.
Summary
Russian special services recruited two Ukrainian teenagers, aged 15 and 17, to carry out suicide bomb attacks in Ivano-Frankivsk, promising $1,700.
The teens unknowingly transported homemade explosives disguised as thermoses, which Russian handlers detonated remotely, killing one and seriously injuring the other. The blast also injured two passersby.
A second explosion occurred at the teens’ rented apartment.
Ukrainian authorities charged the surviving teen with terrorism-related crimes and warned of a new Russian tactic of exploiting and eliminating operatives to cover tracks.