The SSU Counterintelligence and the National Police have apprehended another three agents of russia’s federal security service who, on russia’s behalf, committed arson in several regions of Ukraine.

In Kropyvnytskyi, a 19-year-old local resident was caught trying to burn down the building of one of the city’s district councils. The Security Service caught him red-handed with a 10-liter canister of gasoline, which he poured on the front door of the municipal institution.

As the investigation established, the asset was recruited by the russian service through a dating site: a ‘girl’ responded immediately and offered to meet.

However, instead of a date, the young man received a message that the ‘girl’ had been ‘kidnapped’ and to ‘free’ her, he had to burn down the district council.

Using a similar scheme, the FSB recruited another resident of the city. He is a 21-year-old unemployed man who, on behalf of the occupiers, tried to commit arson at the local branch of Ukrposhta, the national postal operator.

The SSU Counterintelligence detained the perpetrator at the scene when he poured gasoline and set fire to the entrance door and window shutters of the office.

In Chernivtsi, a 24-year-old citizen of a Middle Eastern country was exposed for attempt to destroy technological equipment of a master substation. To commit the crime, he used five liters of gasoline, which he poured near the equipment and tried to set it on fire.

The SSU Counterintelligence detained the foreigner when he attempted to set the fire.

The perpetrators have been declared suspects, according to offences committed, under two Articles of the CCU:

• 113.2 (sabotage, committed under martial law);
• 194.2 (intentional destruction of property by arson).

The suspects are in custody and face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The operations were carried out by the SSU Offices in Kirovohrad and Chernivtsi regions jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of regional Prosecutors’ Offices.