Russian intelligence agencies were planning a terrorist attack against military personnel in Rivne

In Rivne, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a 19-year-old student from Kyiv who is suspected of planning a terrorist attack against Ukrainian military personnel. According to the investigation, he planted a homemade explosive device under a bus and set up a hidden camera nearby to monitor the soldiers boarding the bus. The SBU states that the explosive was successfully defused before the bus set off.

 

According to the SBU, Russian intelligence services were involved in planning the attack. They recruited the 19-year-old student from Kyiv, who was looking for quick money on Telegram channels. After being recruited, the young man moved into a rented apartment in Rivne. Later, he received the coordinates of a hiding place from his Russian handler, retrieved a homemade explosive device from there, and planted it under a bus that was supposed to carry servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

 

To monitor the soldiers, the suspect installed a concealed camera opposite the parking spot. It was hidden in a juice carton, and according to the investigation, Russian intelligence services had access to the video footage. According to the SBU, the Russians planned to use this method to track when the soldiers would board the bus and detonate it while it was en route to its destination.

The explosive device was defused, and the suspect was detained

SBU officers uncovered the plot in advance and defused the explosive device. The suspect himself was detained at the city bus station as he was attempting to leave for Kyiv after planting the explosives.

 

A smartphone was seized from him during his arrest. According to the investigation, it was from this phone that the young man informed his Russian handlers that he had left the explosive at the site of the planned terrorist attack. The SBU also stated that this is the fourth terrorist attack that Ukrainian counterintelligence has prevented in Rivne since the beginning of 2026.

What punishment does the detainee face?

SBU investigators informed the 19-year-old that he is suspected of a completed attempt to commit a terrorist act. The charges fall under Part 2 of Article 15 and Part 2 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. According to the SBU, the explosive device was reinforced with two glass bottles containing flammable liquid. According to investigators, this was intended to increase the destructive power of the explosion.

 

The suspect is being held in custody without the right to bail. If found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property. At this stage, this is a suspicion, not a court verdict. The circumstances of the case are to be established during the ongoing investigation, according to the SBU.

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