Terrorist attack near railway station in Ivano-Frankivsk orchestrated by Russia – SSU

That was reported by the SSU, as per Ukrinform.

According to the SSU, the attack was carried out by two local youths aged 15 and 17, who were students at local colleges. The two minors were recruited by the Russians via Telegram channels promoting easy ways to make money.

As a result of the explosion, the 17-year-old perpetrator was killed instantly, while his 15-year-old accomplice was hospitalized with severe injuries.

The investigation revealed that, in exchange for promises of money, the boys created homemade explosives following instructions from a Russian handler. They assembled two explosive devices disguised as thermoses in an apartment rented by the handler near the railway station.

Both explosive devices were equipped with detonators that could be remotely triggered and additional shrapnel elements in the form of metal nuts. The minors completed the explosives and prepared them for detonation as instructed by their Russian handler.

In the evening of March 11, around 18:30, the two agents were en route to plant one of the devices at a designated location. The Russian intelligence services remotely tracked their movement via GPS and detonated the devices while the agents were walking, triggering the explosion. The blast injured two random pedestrians.

At the same time, Russian forces remotely detonated the second explosive device left in the rented apartment.

The SSU has filed charges against the 15-year-old in connection with the following Criminal Code articles of Ukraine:

• Part 5, Article 27, Part 3, Article 258 – aiding in the commission of a terrorist act leading to death;
• Part 2, Article 263-1 – illegal manufacture of explosives and explosive devices by a group of people in conspiracy.

The young man faces a life sentence with property confiscation.

The issue of qualifying the actions of two 15-year-old girls, who were with the perpetrators during the preparation of the attack, is still under review.

The SSU emphasized that Russian intelligence services are using a new tactic of detonating their own agents after using them for "dirty" tasks, eliminating them as unnecessary witnesses.

"If anyone offers you or your friends to 'just deliver a package' to a military enlistment office, police, or other administrative buildings, know that they want to kill you," the SSU warns.

Citizens are urged to report recruitment attempts to the SSU's chatbot Spali FSBe-shnyka. The SSU guarantees complete confidentiality and thorough investigation of each report.

As previously reported by Ukrinform, on March 11, as a result of explosions in Ivano-Frankivsk, one person was killed, and three others were injured. The victims were hospitalized, with one in critical condition.