Russia Continues Efforts to Recruit Children as Suicide Bombers: SBU Foils Plot in Ivano-Frankivsk

Russia’s use of terror tactics against Ukrainian civilians has reached another disturbing low. On June 12, Ukrainian counterintelligence and police thwarted an FSB-orchestrated attempt to use a 15-year-old Ukrainian girl to carry out a bombing in a crowded public park in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Russian handler approached the girl online, offering her money to assemble an improvised explosive device using basic materials. She was instructed to fill the device with shrapnel, conceal it in a thermos, and leave it in a central park location timed for maximum civilian casualties.

Fortunately, the girl did not fall for the scheme. She contacted authorities using the SBU’s “Expose the FSB Agent” chatbot, enabling Ukraine’s security services to take over communication with the Russian operative. Posing as the teenager, Ukrainian operatives allowed the handler to believe the plan was moving forward, all while gathering evidence.

The FSB’s instructions were clear: plant the bomb, then disappear. The handler also attempted to detonate the device remotely—both while the girl was allegedly transporting it and once it reached the supposed target. Ukraine’s operatives had intentionally made the device inert to prevent any risk to the public.

The final step in the FSB’s plan was chilling. The girl—referred to only as a “contractor”—was to be eliminated immediately after the attack, ensuring no witnesses could implicate Russian intelligence.

This isn’t the first such incident. Ukrainian intelligence has reported numerous attempts by Russian agents to recruit children and teenagers via games, social media, and messaging apps.

The goal is always the same: manipulate young Ukrainians into becoming unknowing participants in terrorist attacks, while maintaining plausible deniability.

A criminal case has been opened under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (violation of the laws and customs of war). The investigation is ongoing, with efforts focused on identifying the individuals behind the recruitment and attempted bombing.

Authorities stress the need for vigilance. Parents and teachers are being urged to discuss online safety with young people and emphasize the danger of unknown contacts offering money or asking for “small favors.”

As Russia escalates its war with increasingly brutal and underhanded tactics, this latest plot serves as a grim reminder: Ukrainian children are now being targeted as tools in a campaign of terror. And it is only through vigilance, courage, and the swift work of Ukraine’s defenders that lives are being saved.