Russian subversive group exposed in Kyiv

The Ukrainian security service, or SBU, has uncovered a Russian federal security service (FSB) combat group that planned to blow up military command and control facilities in the Kyiv region.

In a statement on Wednesday, SBU said it had "neutralised" a three-person FSB agent group in Kyiv that was preparing a series of explosions in General Staff and defence ministry units and backup command posts.

The group, formed back in 2018 by an officer of the so-called 5th FSB service, dealing with Ukraine, included residents of Kyiv and Chernihiv and had planned to use up to 10 drones with explosives for the sabotage.

One of the agents had made homemade explosives and another had been responsible for converting UAVs into attack drones, which both did it at their place of residence, SBU claims.

The third member of the subversion group took a UAV operator training course this March, since when the suspects started tracking the locations of the Ukrainian military units in the Kyiv region.

The three have been taken in custody and face up to 15 years in prison.