Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of recruiting CIVILIANS as unwitting suicide bombers

08/14/2025 / By Zoey Sky

Ukraine’s intelligence is accused of scamming elderly Russian women out of their savings via fake law enforcement messages, then blackmailing them into planting bombs near military targets. Russia warns families to be cautious of such scams.
Meanwhile, Russia allegedly lures young Ukrainians with fake job offers, only to trick them into carrying explosives. One 19-year-old thought he was spray-painting a building but was given a remote-detonated bomb instead.
Russia initially recruited Ukrainians for minor sabotage (like arson) to create “proof” of internal unrest. Now, tactics have shifted to deadly bombings, with recruits often unaware that they’re transporting explosives.
The SBU (Ukraine’s security service) has detained over 700 suspects in 2024 and launched school programs to warn the youth about online scams. Some recruits face long prison sentences, even if they were deceived.
Ukraine warns that Russia is using the country as a testing ground for hybrid warfare, including sabotage and bombings, before potentially deploying similar tactics in Europe. Western intelligence is monitoring the situation closely.

As the Russia-Ukraine war rages on, a disturbing new front has emerged, one fought not just with tanks and drones but with deception and psychological manipulation.

Both Ukrainian and Russian intelligence agencies stand accused of recruiting civilians – including elderly Russians and young Ukrainians – to carry out deadly attacks without their full knowledge.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims that Ukrainian intelligence is targeting elderly Russian women, scamming them out of their savings before coercing them into acts of terrorism. According to the FSB, at least five elderly women were recently manipulated through Telegram and WhatsApp by individuals posing as Russian law enforcement.

The women were told that their bank accounts had been compromised and were tricked into transferring their life savings to “safe accounts.” Once their money was stolen, they were pressured into cooperating under the threat of legal consequences.

The elderly women were instructed to monitor Russian military personnel, store improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and deliver them disguised as harmless household items. The FSB alleges that the plan was to turn these women into “human bombs,” detonating the devices near military targets.

The agency has urged families to educate vulnerable relatives about such scams, emphasizing that Russian officials never demand money transfers to “secure” accounts. This accusation comes as Russia tightens its grip on digital platforms like Telegram, which it accuses of failing to curb extremist content. Moscow is pushing for “digital sovereignty,” promoting homegrown alternatives like VK’s new messaging service, “Max,” modeled after China’s WeChat.

A deadly game of deception

While Russia accuses Ukraine of exploiting its elderly, Ukrainian security services claim Moscow is doing something even more sinister: Recruiting young Ukrainians as unwitting suicide bombers.

One such case involves Oleh, a 19-year-old from eastern Ukraine, who thought he was taking a simple job he found on Telegram: Travel to Rivne, spray paint outside a police station and earn $1,000. But when he opened the bag he was given, he found not a paint canister but a crude bomb with wires and a phone attached. The item was a remote detonation device.

Had it exploded, Oleh would have died instantly, becoming another casualty in Russia’s alleged sabotage campaign inside Ukraine. According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), this is part of a broader strategy.

Initially, Russia recruited Ukrainians – often teenagers – to commit arson attacks on military offices and post offices. The recruits were then instructed to film the destruction. The videos were eventually used as “proof” of internal unrest.

By late 2024, the tactics shifted to bombings, with recruits unknowingly carrying explosives to crowded areas. The SBU says it has detained over 700 people since early 2024 for sabotage-related offenses, many of them young, desperate, or struggling with addiction. Some, like an 11-year-old girl from Odesa, were manipulated before realizing the danger.

In Oleh’s case, the SBU intervened just in time. Agents monitoring Telegram recruitment channels tracked him and his friend Serhiy as they picked up the bomb. When “Alexander,” the Russian handler, attempted to remotely detonate the device, Ukrainian countermeasures blocked the signal.

Had it worked, the explosion could have killed multiple people, just like a similar attack days earlier, where a 21-year-old unwitting suicide bomber died alongside eight wounded soldiers.

The SBU has launched school programs to warn Ukrainian youth about these recruitment tactics. “The only free cheese is in a mousetrap,” one officer remarked, urging caution with online job offers.

Will Russia employ these tactics to Europe?

Western intelligence agencies are watching closely. Russia has already been linked to arson and sabotage attacks across Europe, but so far, these have avoided mass casualties. Ukraine fears it is serving as a testing ground for more lethal operations abroad. (Related: Trump’s Ukraine peace proposal deemed “acceptable” by Kremlin: Putin-Trump-Zelensky summit under discussion.)

“Ukraine is the testing ground for Russian hybrid warfare,” a Ukrainian law enforcement source warned. “They test things here, then do it in the West,” added the source.

For those caught in these schemes, the consequences are severe. Oleh and Serhiy now face up to 12 years in prison. Though Oleh insists he didn’t know he was working for Russia, his family has disowned him, calling him an “idiot.”

Meanwhile, the shadow war continues. And it’s one where the most vulnerable are turned into weapons, unaware until it’s too late.

Go to WWIII.news for more stories about ongoing conflicts across the globe.

Watch the full video below of the “Health Ranger Report” with the Health Ranger Mike Adams about the true reason why Europe wants a high casualty war with Russia.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of recruiting CIVILIANS as unwitting suicide bombers

A deadly game of deception

Will Russia employ these tactics to Europe?

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