Ukrainian agents tricking elderly Russians into terrorism
Using fraud schemes and psychological pressure, Kiev recruited the women through Telegram and WhatsApp, allegedly posing as Russian law enforcement officials and convincing them to cooperate. According to FSB, the scammers stole the women's personal funds – including savings from bank accounts and proceeds from property sales.
Under the pretext of recovering these assets, they were tasked with monitoring the homes and vehicles of Russian military personnel, storing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from hidden caches, and ultimately delivering the devices, disguised as household items, to service members. The plan was to use the women as 'human bombs,' the FSB added.
The agency urged the relatives of elderly or socially isolated people, as well as minors, to 'educate them about scams and the risks of being drawn into criminal or terrorist activities.' It also reiterated that Russian officials and financial institutions never request money transfers to so-called 'safe accounts' or demand the handover of cash to couriers.
Last month, the head of the State Duma's Information Policy Committee, Sergey Boyarsky, warned that Telegram could be banned in Russia if it fails to comply with domestic data laws. 'Telegram does not comply with the existing legislation when it comes to the [storage] of personal data… and it will face sanctions, which are most likely to be more severe than now,' he told TASS.
Russian authorities have voiced concerns shared by other countries in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization regarding extremist and radical content being sent via messaging platforms. Moscow is now promoting 'digital sovereignty' and has been encouraging domestic firms to build secure, state-run alternatives.
VK, Russia's largest social media company, is developing 'Max,' a multi-purpose national messaging service which has been likened to China's WeChat.
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