SBU: Two men were preparing explosions near regional shopping center in Mykolaiv

Law enforcers detained two men on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack near the regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support in Mykolaiv. This was reported by Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the special service, they acted on the order of the Russian Federal Security Service. The enemy's plan was to first detonate an improvised explosive device near the administrative building of the regional TCC. Later, when emergency services arrived at the scene, another explosive device was supposed to go off nearby.

In this way, the occupiers planned to kill the maximum number of people.

According to the investigation, the men acted separately from each other, but had a common curator. One of the detainees is a 38-year-old resident of Kirovohrad region, who came to the attention of the occupiers when he posted anti-Ukrainian comments on social media.

After being recruited, his task was to equip explosives and place them in caches.

Then the Russian curator passed the geolocation of the caches to the direct executor of the planned terrorist attack. He was an 18-year-old resident of Kyiv region.

Following the curator's instructions, he took two explosive devices from caches in Kherson and Mykolaiv. He hid one of them in a garbage can near the Mykolaiv shopping center, and planted the other one nearby. At that moment, SBU officers detained him.

A man's phone was seized from him, which he tried to set up near the shopping center to broadcast the terrorist attack to the occupiers online.

He was served a notice of suspicion under the article on a completed attempted terrorist act.

Another man was detained at his place of residence. He is charged with high treason.

The men are being held without bail. They face from 12 years in prison to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

• On February 14, police reported that an unknown object exploded in Mykolaiv near a catering establishment. Two people were reported dead and eight wounded.
• Later, the Mine Action Center announced the deaths of three of its servicemen as a result of the attack.
• Law enforcement detained four minors who, according to investigators, were preparing a terrorist attack in the center of Mykolaiv on February 14 at the request of Russia.