Ukrainian authorities have classified an explosion in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv, as a “terrorist act” following the injury of two police officers.
The initial blast occurred in the early hours of Monday on a residential street. Law enforcement responding to the scene were met by a second explosion, which subsequently injured two officers.
Suspect Apprehended, Recruitment Under Investigation
Police have arrested a 21-year-old local resident in connection with the incidents. Authorities allege this individual was recruited online to carry out both explosions.
While the specific online platform used for recruitment was not disclosed by officials, a security source indicated to the BBC that the suspect was recruited through the online game World of Tanks.
“He states his sole motivation was financial gain, having been promised 25,000 hryvnias [approximately £450 or $570] for each detonation,” stated Andriy Kravchuk, head of the Kyiv Region Criminal Investigations Directorate, speaking at the scene.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released a statement identifying the suspect as a “Russian agent.” However, police are currently focusing on identifying those who recruited the suspect and have not confirmed any direct links to Russia.
Footage released by the police shows the suspect undergoing questioning. In the video, he claims to have been blackmailed into planting the explosives. He recounted that his contacts over the internet threatened knowledge of his mother’s whereabouts, allegedly stating they could “see her from a drone.” The chilling alleged threat was, “Either you do what we tell you or something happens to your mum.”
The suspect faces charges of terrorism.
Injuries and Eyewitness Accounts
The two police officers injured in the explosions sustained limb injuries that are not considered life-threatening, according to Kravchuk.
Viktoria Ivasyshyna, a 21-year-old local resident, described hearing “a very loud explosion and I immediately realised that this was not civilian or an industrial accident,” highlighting the distinct nature of the blast.
Another resident of Bucha recounted, “We woke up to a powerful explosion. At first we thought someone had a gas explosion in their apartment, but it turned out that it wasn’t.”
The Bucha town council posted on Facebook, relaying eyewitness accounts of a palpable shockwave and the rapid arrival of all emergency services at the location.
Pattern of Incidents
This event in Bucha follows a series of similar incidents across Ukraine throughout the year. In Lviv, on February 22, a police officer was killed and over 20 individuals were injured when a bomb detonated after police responded to a report of an earlier explosion.
Authorities stated that the explosives in Lviv were planted by a Ukrainian woman reportedly paid by Russian secret services.
Further incidents on February 23 included a bomb targeting police at a disused station in Mykolayiv, injuring seven people. On the same day, an explosion occurred outside a police station in Dnipro.