Possible terrorist attack: car explodes in Odesa

Police have launched an investigation into a car explosion that occurred in the Kyiv district of Odesa on the morning of February 6.

According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the National Police of Ukraine in Odesa Oblast, local residents reported the explosion of a Toyota car on Akademika Korolyova Street to the special line 102.

According to preliminary information, the 21-year-old owner of the car died as a result of the explosion.

"Operatives, investigators, forensic experts with a forensic laboratory, and officers from the explosive and canine services of the regional police are working at the scene. The legal qualification of the incident will be provided after all the circumstances are clarified," the police said.

Meanwhile, information is being spread on social media that the car belonged to a soldier who was actually going to go to work. However, this information has not yet been officially confirmed or denied.

The day before, the court remanded in custody without bail three men who were detained by the Security Service of Ukraine in Odesa on suspicion of preparing terrorist attacks against military personnel and their families. The attacks were to be carried out through the remote activation of homemade bombs. Initially, the defendants had been tracking the residences of Ukrainian defenders and parking lots for a long time. Later, they received the coordinates of a cache from the federal security service, from which they took two improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The criminals planned to plant both bombs at the entrance to the apartment of two servicemen of the Defense Forces.

The SBU CI detained a 55-year-old former law enforcement officer from Odesa region on suspicion of organizing explosive caches to be used for terrorist attacks.

Кирило Бойко