Russia Recruiting Teens to Poison Ukrainian Troops: Police

Ivan Vyhivskyi, Ukraine’s top law enforcement official, revealed that at least six contract killings organized through Telegram between Russian intelligence operatives and Ukrainian women have been identified, according to New York Post. Among the suspects is a 17-year-old girl, and only one of the planned assassinations was successfully prevented.

The police chief emphasized the operations represent coordinated murder plots arranged by hostile foreign intelligence services and executed by Ukrainian nationals. Russian recruiters allegedly target young women through messaging platforms, offering financial incentives and providing remote instructions throughout the operation.

Dating Apps as Hunting Grounds

The recruited women receive specific instructions to create profiles on adult dating websites where they search for Ukrainian military personnel. Russian handlers provide funds for apartment rentals where the meetings take place, Vyhivskyi explained.

Before each arranged encounter, the women receive detailed guidance on obtaining methadone, a synthetic opioid painkiller that proves lethal in elevated doses. The operatives coach them on methods to secretly lace servicemen’s beverages with the poison during what the victims believe are romantic meetings.

Fatal Encounter in Zhytomyr Region

A recent case exemplifies the deadly scheme. Police discovered a 27-year-old soldier dead in a residence in the Zhytomyr region last week, with powdery residue detected in his dishware.

Authorities arrested a 17-year-old girl from Berdychiv on June 4 in connection with the murder. During interrogation, she admitted receiving instructions from a suspected Russian security services agent via Telegram to poison the victim. The teenager told investigators she had received a package containing a clear substance, believed to be methadone, specifically for carrying out the assassination.

According to police accounts, the suspect mixed the methadone into an alcoholic beverage served to the serviceman. She fled the residence after he lost consciousness and died from the poisoning.

Widespread Treachery

Both Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations throughout the conflict of recruiting enemy citizens to conduct targeted killings of military personnel. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have charged more than 1,100 Ukrainian citizens with acts of arson, terrorism, or sabotage constituting treason against their homeland.

The revelation highlights Moscow’s willingness to exploit vulnerable civilians, including minors, as expendable assets in asymmetric warfare operations targeting Ukraine’s military capacity.

With information from New York Post