Russia recruited local residents to carry out bomber-drone attacks on Odesa
Russia was preparing bomber-drone attacks on Ukrainian military targets in Odesa, involving local residents in the operation.
This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Ukrainian counterintelligence acted pre-emptively and detained two agents of Russia’s military intelligence service (better known as the GRU) on the eve of the planned drone launch.
The suspects already had a prepared warhead for dropping and a target approved by their Russian handler — one of the locations of a local Defence Forces unit.
One of the individuals involved was identified as a 49-year-old local entrepreneur who had been recruited by the Russians via the Telegram messenger.
It is reported that he initially received a quadcopter from the occupiers and later retrieved 2 kg of plastid explosive from a hidden cache, along with components for an improvised explosive device (IED), which he used to equip the drone.
The suspect enlisted the help of a 47-year-old acquaintance, who assisted him in identifying locations with the highest concentration of Ukrainian troops.
The discovered positions were marked on Google Maps and reported to the Russian handler.
After the target was approved, the men began preparing the aerial strike. At this stage, they were detained by SBU counterintelligence officers.
“During searches, officers seized a quadcopter fitted with explosives, as well as a Kalashnikov assault rifle, two Makarov pistols with ammunition, an F-1 hand grenade, and other weapons,” the Security Service said.
The detainees have been formally charged with high treason. They face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
Ukraine has also called on the EU to create reserves of energy equipment to protect against Russian attacks.
Following another overnight strike, the capital is facing a critical electricity shortage.
As a reminder, DTEK energy workers restored power to more than 2 million households within a week.
Additionally, on 13 January 2026, Ukraine’s power system experienced severe overloads due to the consequences of another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on key facilities.
