Ukrainian security service arrests 19-year-old suspected of Russian bomb plot on soldiers' bus

Ukrainian authorities say a 19-year-old student was recruited through Telegram channels promising quick money by Russian intelligence operatives. He traveled to Rivne, collected explosives from a hidden cache, and installed an improvised device under a bus transporting a full unit of soldiers, adding two glass bottles of flammable liquid for extra force. A remotely-controlled camera, concealed in a juice box, was positioned opposite the parking area to watch the bus.

SBU officers uncovered the scheme, rendered the bomb harmless, and apprehended the suspect at the city’s bus station as he tried to head to Kyiv. His phone, seized by investigators, contained messages reporting the placement to his handler. The Rivne Regional Prosecutor’s Office has formally charged him with attempted terrorism, and a court has ordered detention without bail, with a potential sentence of up to eight years.