Ukrainian defense sources say devices hidden inside heated shoe insoles were sent to Russian military units earlier this month as part of a covert operation, according to the defense website Militarnyi.
Each insole contained 10–15 grams of explosives. Deliveries involved “tens of thousands” of items, Militarnyi said, with devices moved through Poland and Belarus using Russian “volunteers” and charity groups.
A Russian truck carrying 502 of the insoles, each with 1.5 grams of TNT, was later intercepted. An anonymous Ukrainian source said earlier batches “did their job” and the seized shipment was only a fraction of Ukraine’s covert effort.
Russia’s FSB said the attacks were “prevented,” claiming a foreign national was detained and 504 explosive insoles seized. Authorities said the devices were “intended to sever part of a soldier’s limb during combat missions.”
The report comes amid a broader pattern of sabotage operations targeting Russian forces. As Kyiv Post previously reported, a batch of “Skyzone Cobra X v4” FPV drone goggles sent to Russian units in early February contained improvised explosive devices (IEDs) designed to detonate while in use.
Around 80 sets were delivered through volunteer networks, with each containing 15 grams of plastic explosive, a detonator, and a battery hidden near the cooling fan by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR).
Between Feb. 4–7, at least eight Russian drone pilots were seriously injured, and some may have been blinded, when the hidden IEDs functioned.
A HUR source called the operation “well-deserved punishment for the war crimes Russian occupiers commit against Ukraine every day,” adding that production of “surprise-loaded” equipment has expanded beyond the Carpathians into Russian territory.