SBU exposes Russian agent planning to set fire to Ukraine’s National Memory Institute in Kyiv
A recent alarming incident has come to light in the heart of Kyiv, where Ukrainian security forces in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine thwarted a malicious plot by a Russian operative aiming to carry out an arson attack against one of the country’s most significant historical and educational institutions — the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
According to official sources, the suspect is a 20-year-old individual recruited by Russian intelligence through social media platforms.
He received explicit instructions to set fire to a vehicle in Vinnytsia and then escalate to a larger target — the National Memory Institute in Kyiv.
Law enforcement authorities determined that between October 19-20, the young man set fire to a car on Maksym Shimka Street in Vinnytsia, recording the act and sending the footage to his handlers for validation, for which he was compensated.
The plan then involved a more ambitious action: to burn down the Ukrainian cultural and historical memorial center.
The suspect rented accommodation near the site, carefully prepared for the attack by studying the location, escape routes, and purchased a five-liter gasoline container to facilitate the arson.
Following instructions from Russian intelligence, he intended to pour gasoline on the institute’s window, ignite it, and record the event on his phone.
Fortunately, law enforcement managed to stop the attack: the suspect was detained near the target site on October 21.
A court has since ordered his detention without bail.
The individual faces up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The incident underscores the ongoing external threats Ukraine faces, revealing the persistent efforts to destabilize the country through espionage and sabotage.