Law enforcement officials claim that the suspects detonated a vehicle containing a Ukrainian soldier and were planning new acts of sabotage.
"To carry out the terrorist act, the suspects tracked the parking location of the car in Kharkiv and planted an improvised explosive device underneath it. As a result of the explosion, the Ukrainian defender sustained serious injuries," the report states.
According to the SBU counterintelligence, the pro-Russian cell consisted of four local residents: a Kharkiv software engineer, a former military serviceman, and two unemployed individuals. Among other tasks, they were assigned to track and derail a train transporting military equipment to the front lines.
The SBU apprehended one of the suspects while he was hiding an improvised explosive device in a stash. During a search of his potential accomplices, explosives, as well as phones and computers containing evidence of collaboration with the occupiers, were seized.
The detained individuals have been informed of their suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 (treason committed under martial law) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal handling of explosives). The SBU is also preparing charges against them under Article 113 (sabotage) and Article 258 (terrorist act).
The court has placed the group members in custody, and they face life imprisonment.