Explosions in Ivano-Frankivsk: law enforcement confirms Russians blew up teenage agents – photos
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the National Police have established that the Russian secret services were behind the 11 March terrorist attack in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine’s west. The Russians remotely detonated explosives that two boys aged 17 and 15, whom they had recruited, were carrying to a designated drop-off point. The explosion killed one of the teenagers and seriously injured the other. Two passers-by were also wounded.
Source: SSU; National Police
Quote from the SSU: "The Security Service and the National Police have established the circumstances and perpetrators of the terrorist attack carried out by the Russian Federation in central Ivano-Frankivsk on 11 March.
The information available indicates that on that evening, the Russian secret service blew up two of its own agents who were carrying an improvised explosive device in the area of the railway station."
Details: The investigation has established that the two teenagers from Ivano-Frankivsk found a "job" promising easy money on Telegram. They were recruited via Russian channels by the Russian secret services, which tasked them with assembling improvised explosive devices. Following instructions from their handler, the boys rented an apartment near the railway station where they manufactured explosives and prepared two devices disguised as thermos flasks.
The police noted that the occupiers had promised the teenagers US$1,700 for the work they would carry out.
One of the explosive devices was meant to be left at a designated location in the city. But while the teenagers were on their way to the drop-off point, at around 18:30, the Russian secret services remotely activated the explosives inside the boys' bag.
The 17-year-old was killed instantly and his 15-year-old accomplice sustained severe injuries. The blast also wounded two people who happened to be nearby – a 20-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman.
The 15-year-old perpetrator now faces charges under multiple articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for which the penalty is life imprisonment with confiscation of assets. Investigators are also looking into the involvement of two 15-year-old girls who may have been linked to the terrorist plot.
The SSU has urged citizens to remain vigilant, warning that the Russians have begun using their own agents "blindly".
"They blow up their own agents: they use them 'blindly' and then kill them as unwanted witnesses. If you or someone you know is offered a 'simple job' to deliver a package to a military enlistment office, police station or any other administrative building, be aware – they are trying to kill you."
Background: Explosions occurred near the railway station in Ivano-Frankivsk on the evening of 11 March, resulting in casualties and a fatality.
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