Office of the Prosecutor General: preparation of a series of murders and sabotage in the interests of Russian special services in the EU thwarted
Kyiv • UNN
A network preparing contract killings and sabotage in the EU in the interests of Russian special services has been exposed. Law enforcement officers detained nine members of the international criminal network.
Law enforcement officers have exposed a network that was preparing contract killings and sabotage in the EU in the interests of the Russian special services, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Monday, UNN writes.
Prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor General, together with investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine and law enforcement officers from several countries, as indicated, conducted an international operation, within which the preparation of serious crimes in EU countries was halted.
The perpetrators, intermediaries, and coordinators who organized and financed the activities have been identified. According to the investigation, since August 2024, representatives of the Russian special services, through controlled individuals, organized the preparation of violent crimes in EU countries. In particular, contract killings were being prepared in Lithuania — network members monitored potential victims, collecting data on their place of residence, routes, and daily routine,
According to the prosecution, the suspects "involved citizens of various states who played the roles of observers, intermediaries, and perpetrators, and provided financing and logistics." Funds were transferred through controlled channels using forged documents to disguise their origin, the PGO reported.
"The attempted murder in Lithuania was thwarted: some of the participants were detained, one — directly during the preparation of the attack," the report says.
Further investigation established that the network also operated in other EU countries: it collected data on military facilities and equipment for Ukraine, prepared provocations, arson of infrastructure, and carried out sabotage at a military enterprise. The possibility of violent actions on the territory of Ukraine was also considered,
As indicated, arrests and searches were conducted in EU countries as part of the operation. Some of the individuals have already been handed over to Lithuania. According to the PGO, 13 people have been notified of suspicion: nine have been detained, and European arrest warrants have been issued for four.
In total, dozens of people were involved in the network's activities, and its operations covered at least several European countries, the PGO indicated.