Ukraine says it thwarted Russian bomb attacks in Kyiv on May 9

(Reuters) – Ukraine said on Monday it thwarted a Russian operation to set off a series of bomb attacks in builder’s markets and near a cafe in the capital of Kyiv, and at a defence enterprise in the western city of Lviv.

Two Russian military agents were detained on suspicion of involvement in the alleged plot and 19 explosive devices were seized, the prosecutor general’s office wrote on the Telegram app.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement that four bombs had been intended for detonation in the capital on May 9, the day when Russia celebrates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

“According to the plan of the Russian special service, the explosives were supposed to detonate during the supermarkets’ peak hours to cause maximum damage to the civilian population,” the agency said on Telegram.

There was no immediate comment from Russia.

In Kyiv, the explosives intended for builder’s markets were disguised as packages of tea, while a bomb was placed in a car for an explosion near the cafe, according to the SBU.

The Lviv attack was meant to happen last February, the SBU said. An unidentified defence enterprise was the target, according to prosecutors.

Ukraine regularly says it has thwarted attacks away from the front line planned by Russian security services, detaining agents it says are working for Moscow.

Last week, the SBU said it had caught two agents within the State Protection Department plotting the assassination of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.