Ukraine detains 18-year-old Russian agent who coordinated May 24 attack on Kyiv

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) detained an 18-year-old Kyiv resident on May 25, the day after a massive Russian attack on the capital, for allegedly coordinating the strike that killed two people and injured 91, including three children.

The suspect was arrested while conducting reconnaissance near a Ministry of Defense facility and assessing damage from the previous night's bombardment, the SBU said in a statement. Officers seized a smartphone containing prepared intelligence reports with detailed descriptions of the attack's consequences.

"The investigation established that the enemy assignment was carried out by an 18-year-old resident of Kyiv who came to the attention of Russian secret services while he was looking for 'easy money' on Telegram channels," the SBU said. After recruitment, the agent traveled to the outskirts of the capital and used Google Maps to mark transport corridors used for moving Ukrainian military equipment, which the SBU described as a test assignment.

Messages from the suspect's handler were recovered, including: "Well, don't be disappointed if anything goes wrong... I'll pay you regardless of whether there was something there or not." After damage to a neighboring building was identified, the handler added: "Film that as well. But the building first. Maybe they got it wrong."

The suspect, born in Cherkasy Oblast, was charged under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – high treason committed under martial law. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property and has been remanded in custody without bail.

The May 24 attack involved 90 missiles and 600 drones, including an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, according to Ukrainian authorities. Around 300 sites were damaged, nearly 150 of them residential buildings. The operation was conducted jointly by the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, the SBU, and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.