Ukrainian authorities have uncovered an agent network linked to Russia’s military intelligence (GRU) that plotted terrorist attacks and contract killings in eastern regions. Potential targets included military personnel, an adviser to the defense minister, and public figures, including volunteer Serhii Sternenko.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported the case.
Network and activities
The network included around 10 members operating in the Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk districts of the Donetsk region, as well as in the Kharkiv region.
The agents gathered intelligence on the deployment, movement, equipment, and personnel of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. They also documented the aftermath of Russian strikes and passed the information to handlers in Russia.
Preparation of attacks and assassinations
Investigators say the group received orders to prepare a terrorist attack in Kramatorsk. They were tasked with selecting a public venue frequented by military personnel and planting explosives there. The plan was not carried out. However, one suspect admitted to previously detonating explosives in a parking lot in the region.
The network also prepared contract killings. Potential targets included an adviser to the defense minister, volunteer Serhii Sternenko, and Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) fighter Illia Bohdanov.
An assigned hitman planned to manufacture improvised explosive devices, plant them under vehicles or near the targets’ residences, and carry out shootings if the initial attempts failed.
Detentions and charges
Ukrainian forces killed one of the hitmen during the operation. According to the SBU, he came from temporarily occupied parts of the Donetsk region, trained at a GRU base, and later infiltrated government-controlled territory. He resisted arrest with gunfire.
A recruited forensic expert from Poltava coordinated the network, consolidating intelligence and passing it to the Russian side. Some members, including four suspects from the Donetsk region, had been recruited as early as 2025. One of them was a minor.
During searches, investigators seized weapons, ammunition, equipment, and data storage devices containing evidence of cooperation with Russia. Authorities charged all detainees under multiple articles, including high treason and preparation of terrorist acts. They face life imprisonment with asset confiscation.
Context
Russian intelligence services регулярно attempt to build agent networks in Ukraine to gather intelligence, carry out sabotage, and organize terrorist attacks.
On February 22, 2026, a terrorist attack in Lviv killed a police officer and injured 25 others.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that the Security Service of Ukraine detained a serviceman from the Unmanned Systems Forces on suspicion of spying for Russia and Belarus.
