Russia blames Ukraine for wave of attacks on banks, police

Russia on Thursday accused the Ukrainian security services of instigating a spate of 55 arson and bomb attacks on banks, post offices and police cars across the country.

The interior ministry said in a statement that 44 suspects had been arrested, many of them elderly people and minors “looking for easy money.”

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It said perpetrators faced up to 20 years in prison.

“Suspects acted on the instructions of anonymous supervisors received by telephone or messengers,” it said.

“Ukrainian security services are behind the organization of these crimes,” it said, calling for “vigilance.”

“Do not let yourselves be intimated or deceived”, it said.

The ministry said 55 such “illegal acts” were reported between December 18 and December 26 in several regions.

“As a rule, the perpetrators incited citizens to commit crimes by promising monetary rewards.”
“There are also instances when scammers first took possession of citizens’ funds and then offered to return the stolen money in exchange for fulfilling some assignments,” it said.

In other cases, people were “intimidated” by callers who introduced themselves as police officers.

Russia has seen a wave of vandalism and small-scale attacks since it launched its campaign in Ukraine in 2022.

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