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Russian Intelligence Tried to Use 15-Year-Old Ukrainian Girl as Suicide Bomber in Chernihiv
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![Maryna_kulakova]( "Maryna Kulakova")
-924c3c302c27387e19f6c44aaeb98745.png "Maryna Kulakova")
Russian intelligence attempted to turn a 15-year-old Ukrainian girl into a suicide bomber, forcing her to carry an explosive device into a police station in Chernihiv. The details of the foiled Russian operation were reported by Suspilne, citing representatives of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
According to Ukrainian security services, Russia planned the attack in late 2024, using the girl, a high school student from Kyiv, to unknowingly deliver a bomb disguised as a thermos. The device was meant to detonate as soon as she entered the building. However, Ukraine’s counterintelligence had been tracking the operation from the start and replaced the real bomb with an inert device.
The operation traces back to Koriukivka, where in November 2024, an 18-year-old local was recruited by Russian intelligence to set fire to a government office. He filmed the act as proof and later shared the footage with Russian handlers, who circulated it on Telegram channels.
Ukrainian authorities arrested him soon after, and he agreed to cooperate, allowing counterintelligence officers to monitor his communications with Russian operatives. Through these exchanges, he was instructed to manufacture explosive devices using everyday objects.
Ukrainian agents, tracking the operation, replaced the materials to neutralize any potential threat.
Parallel to that, the 15-year-old girl was recruited through Telegram with an offer of quick money. She was instructed to travel to Chernihiv, pick up a package from an unknown man, and deliver it to the police station. She was promised up to $2,000. According to the girl, she did not suspect at the time that it could be someone from Russia.
“In the morning, they called and told me I had to go to Chernihiv. I said I didn’t want to travel that far. They responded, ‘Why are you backing out now? We already agreed,’” the girl said.
Upon arrival, Russian operatives confirmed her location and ordered her to enter the building, at which point they attempted to remotely detonate the bomb—unaware it had been rendered harmless.
Ukrainian intelligence identified the attack as the work of Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff, specializing in sabotage and covert operations. After the failed bombing, Russian handlers tried to set up another attack, instructing their contact to build a new explosive.
“As he was connecting the wires to the phone, handlers from the foreign intelligence service immediately made a call,” the SBU reported.
Realizing they had been deceived, Russian operatives resorted to threats. “You understand that I will kill you. You understand that you will die. Tell your friends the same. And their relatives. Now I will kill twice as many of you,” one Russian intelligence officer said in a recorded message.
This incident follows a string of Russian-orchestrated attacks on Ukrainian recruitment centers in Pavlohrad, Rivne, and Kamianets-Podilskyi. In each case, Russian intelligence recruited young Ukrainians for suicide missions.
“Previously, their operative would simply carry the explosive package, set up a camera nearby, and they would observe in real time. If a soldier or a vehicle of interest approached, they would detonate it remotely. But this was the first known case where they showed no restraint, even willing to use children as disposable tools. They exploit them as one-time assets—once the task is carried out, they abandon them and look for new recruits,” SBU wrote.
Earlier, it was reported that Russia has established a new filtration camp in territories it occupied in 2024, according to Ukraine’s National Resistance Center in February 28. The camp, designed to hold up to 1,000 people, is being used to screen residents of recently occupied settlements for any ties to Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
