A 19-year-old man from Zhytomyr was arrested in Vinnytsia for allegedly planting explosives in the courtyard of a residential building. He faces charges of state treason.

This was reported by the press service of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office.

«Under the procedural guidance of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office, a 19-year-old resident of Zhytomyr, a citizen of Ukraine, has been charged with state treason committed under martial law (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine)», the statement said.

According to the report, the suspect is part of an enemy intelligence network tasked with recruiting residents of Ukraine to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and using them against military personnel and law enforcement.

Additionally, network members collect information necessary for Russian special services to conduct subversive activities against Ukraine.

Specifically, the suspect transmitted photographs, videos, and precise coordinates of police stations and military vehicles in Zhytomyr via Telegram to his handler. He received funds for this on his bank card.

Later, for an agreed amount of 1,000 US dollars, the young man agreed to travel to Vinnytsia to install an improvised explosive device at specified coordinates.

Upon arriving in the regional center in the evening, the suspect followed his handler's instructions to find a stash containing a package with a device made of a container with a powdery substance and connected wires to two phones. He placed the package in the yard of residential buildings and left it among the plants in a flowerbed.

According to preliminary information, the explosives were intended to be activated when military personnel were nearby.

The Security Service of Ukraine prevented the crime and detained the Russian agent at the scene. He has been charged, and the court has applied a preventive measure of detention without the right to bail.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal case is being conducted by the investigative department of the SBU in the Vinnytsia region.

The alleged crime carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison or life imprisonment with asset forfeiture.