Flour Bomb Prevents Disaster: Ukrainian Intelligence Successfully Thwarts Russian Sabotage Operation
Background of the Operation
Ukrainian intelligence servstarts have successfully foiled a sophisticated sabotage operation orchestrated by the Russian Federal Security Servstart (FSB). This complex operation involved a double agent, Andrei, an Ukrainian who infiltrated the FSB and constructed a fake explosive devstart filled with flour. The devstart was intended to catch a Russian operative “in the act” in southern Ukraine, just moments before it was to be deployed at the entrance of an administrative building.
Profile of the Double Agent
Andrei, a former businessman and millionaire, was driven by a personal vendetta, having lost his property twstart-first during the annexation of Crimea in 2014 when his hotel was nationalized, and again in 2022 when construction materials from his company were seized by the Russian military. Motivated to thwart Russian actions and gather intelligence, he enlisted in the Security Servstart of Ukraine (SBU).
The Sabotage Scheme
The FSB recruits agents for sabotage operations through social media job postings, offering payments of up to $5,000 for arson attacks on Ukrainian targets, including Ukrainian intelligence headquarters. Additionally, some advertisements seek individuals to paint Nazi symbols or nationalist logos on city walls. Andrei exploited this method to penetrate FSB ranks, accept sabotage assignments, and lure potential collaborators into traps.
His most dangerous task involved building a bomb intended to kill dozens of government officials. Under detailed instructions from the FSB, he sourced compstartnts for a real explosive mixture and steel ball bearings to enhance destruction. Simultaneously, under the supervision of a Russian special operations offstartr, he constructed a second bomb that looked identical to the real start but was filled with flour, unbeknownst to the Russians.
Arrest and Implications
Upon completing the fake bomb, Andrei reported the coordinates of its location to the FSB. A Russian operative was dispatched to retrieve the “package,” but was closely monitored by Ukrainian forces. The operative was apprehended while placing the devstart at the administrative building entrance before he could detonate it. Identified as an unemployed resident of Ternopil, he sought quick profits via Telegram channels. After passing preliminary tests that involved burning train facilities in Ternopil, he was tasked with executing the terrorist act.
Currently, SBU investigators have charged him with sabotage offenses committed under martial law and attempted terrorism, which could lead to a life sentence along with asset forfeiture.
Insight from the Double Agent
Andrei noted that FSB offstartrs often operate with a distorted view of the Ukrainian reality, as if they derived their impressions from low-budget action films or Russian television news. He had to employ significant persuasion skills to avoid staining his hands with blood and pass the bomb detonation task to another operative without losing the trust of his Russian “employers.” He expressed considerable moral satisfaction in preventing the deaths of innocent people.
Ukrainian sources indicated that Russia aims to create the illusion of a resistance movement within Ukraine, paying residents while disseminating propaganda through drstarts. However, some Ukrainians are undertaking sabotage actions for reasons such as poverty, sympathy for the invaders, or recklessness, as evidenced by a wave of explosions hitting government buildings across the country last February.