SBU in Lviv arrests teens caught planting a bomb under a soldier’s car, recruited by Russia via social media to destabilize the region.
According to DROBRO, citing Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), two teenagers were caught planting an improvised explosive device (IED) under a Ukrainian soldier’s vehicle.
They planned to remotely detonate the car bomb via a phone call to a device wired to the explosive. The IED, investigators found, was packed with 4.5 kg of explosives and shrapnel, including nuts, to increase lethality. The suspects—a 17-year-old boy from Dnipro and a 16-year-old girl from Cherkasy—were recruited via Telegram by Russian operatives offering quick cash. After remote recruitment, the teens traveled to Lviv, where they surveyed the area and conducted reconnaissance around the soldier’s parked car.Following their handler’s instructions, they retrieved a backpack with the explosive from a prearranged hideout and planted it under the vehicle, parked near the soldier’s home. Across from the parking spot, they set up a phone with a remotely accessible camera, allowing Russian intelligence to monitor the attack’s aftermath live.SBU counterintelligence intervened in time, preventing the attack. Both suspects were detained under Article 208 of Ukraine’s Criminal Procedure Code. They face charges of attempted terrorism by a group with prior conspiracy under Ukraine’s Criminal Code (Articles 28, 15, and 258, Part 2). The court ordered their detention without bail.The operation was conducted by SBU counterintelligence and investigators in Lviv Oblast, under the procedural guidance of the regional prosecutor’s office.
СБУ у Львові затримала агентів РФ, які готували терактhttps://t.co/ABUd8aFXzJ pic.twitter.com/7hxyJMQUPd
— Дрогобич чиНа ❗️ DroBro7/24 (@DroBro10) September 4, 2025
Heightened Security Measures
In response, Lviv’s regional police intensified security, increasing patrols and inspections around critical sites to ensure public safety and prevent further threats.
Russia’s Manipulation Tactics
The SBU warns that Russian intelligence often exploits its agents, using them blindly before eliminating them as witnesses. This case highlights the dangers of social media recruitment, where operatives target vulnerable youth with financial incentives or psychological manipulation via platforms like Telegram.
Public Advisory and Reporting
The SBU urges citizens to report recruitment attempts via its “Expose the FSB” chatbot at t.me/spaly_fsb_bot. “If you or someone you know is asked to ‘deliver a package’ to a military enlistment office, police station, or administrative building, you may be targeted for elimination,” the SBU warned. “Report such attempts to avoid being used as an unwitting terrorist.” The agency guarantees confidentiality and thorough investigation of all reports.