Russia Coordinates Terrorist Attacks on Ukraine’s Police, Leaving Dead and Dozens Injured

After its winter bombardment of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and its campaign of “terror by cold,” Moscow has chosen a new vector—killing those who maintain internal order in the country.

Ukrainian emergency responders are well familiar with the concept of a “double tap”: an initial strike, followed by the arrival of rescue teams, and then a second strike at the same location. The goal is to inflict as many casualties as possible. Ukraine has witnessed dozens of such cases involving emergency services, firefighters, and medics who arrived to save people after Russian shelling.

On the night of February 22, a 23-year-old police officer was killed using a similar tactic. An explosion rocked central Lviv. After the patrol police arrived at the scene, a second explosion occurred, killing the young officer. More than 25 people were injured. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities managed to identify the individual responsible for the attack the same day—she had acted on instructions from Russia.

Following orders from a so-called “handler” from Russian intelligence services, the woman assembled improvised explosive devices and placed them in pre-selected locations—in trash bins near a shopping center. The aim was to cause maximum damage, including to police officers arriving after the first explosion.

Three cities, one pattern

The fact that these actions represent a new vector of planned attacks inside Ukraine by Russia is underscored by events that occurred just a day later: two more explosions in which police officers were again the victims.

On February 23, an explosion was reported in Mykolaiv. During a shift change, several police vehicles were parked at a non-operational gas station. At that moment, an explosion occurred at the site. Seven officers were injured, two of them seriously. There have been no fatalities reported so far.

The explosion appears to have been a terrorist attack, carefully planned and organized in advance.

Later that same day, on February 23, another explosion occurred—this time in Dnipro. The blast wave damaged a local police station and vehicles parked nearby. There were no casualties.

Internal pressure campaign

Three separate incidents occurring in rapid succession are not a coincidence. An “active phase” of terrorist acts ordered by Russian intelligence services and targeting law enforcement officers is underway, said Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko. Recently, there have been four such cases in Kyiv, three each in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr regions, two in the Kharkiv region, and one in Lviv, said Klymenko.

The goal of these attacks is to demoralize and destabilize the country from within. Moscow is combining external threats with internal ones: constant shelling, energy terror, and terrorist acts inside the country. Such actions are aimed at breaking the spirit of Ukrainians and attempting to suppress resistance.

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