The RIA Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the public relations department of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), that a 22-year-old woman had been detained while in the process of placing an improvised explosive device (IED) under the vehicle belonging to an employee of an unspecified defense enterprise in St. Petersburg.
The report included a video allegedly taken by the FSB that showed the women collecting the booby trap on a separate occasion, approaching the car, then placing the bomb under a Mercedes SUV before being arrested as she walked away.
The FSB statement said the woman, who was from the Moscow region, was acting under instructions from Ukraine’s special services, having approached an agency of Ukrainian intelligence via Telegram to offer her services in June 2024.
Since then, she communicated with her handler via WhatsApp and had “proven herself” by spray painting anti-war and pro-Ukrainian slogans in public places, and attempting to set fire to items of railway infrastructure in the Moscow region.
She is then alleged to have offered to carry out sabotage and terrorist activities on behalf of Kyiv in exchange for cash and assistance in moving to an unnamed EU country where she could obtain citizenship.
In April, after being given the details of the intended target of the IED attack, the woman came to St. Petersburg where she followed the defense industry employee. Questioned by the FSB, she said she had received the IED from her Ukrainian contact who promised she would receive payment after completing the mission.
The woman has been charged under Russian anti-terrorist legislation, accused of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack along with the illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, forwarding or carrying of explosives or explosive devices.
Investigators said they were also considering charging the woman with high treason.