Law enforcement agencies of Ukraine announced the disclosure of the April terrorist attacks in Dnepropetrovsk. During the investigation, six perpetrators of the explosions were detained. According to security officials, the terrorists did not put forward any political demands, but were trying to extract financial benefits.

At a briefing at the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Prosecutor's Office, which was held by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Pshonka, the Minister of Internal Affairs Vitaly Zakharchenko, as well as the Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Igor Kalinin, it was announced that a series of four terrorist attacks committed in this city on April 27 had been uncovered. “Today we can say that the crime has been solved,” said Prosecutor General Pshonka. “We have all the information on the crime.”

As the head of the SBU Igor Kalinin said, the organizers of the explosions themselves contacted representatives of law enforcement agencies via the Internet. “They demanded that $4.5 million be transferred to their bank card,” said Mr. Kalinin. “We transferred part of the amount and allowed them to withdraw a small amount of money.” The press service of the SBU clarified to Kommersant that the detainees immediately contacted the SBU two days after the explosions, on April 29, demanding payment of money, while maintaining secrecy and using different email addresses. As the SBU press service told Kommersant, the detainees were able to withdraw only $24 thousand from the account.

“The peculiarity of the criminals was that they first carried out the explosions, and only then came to us demanding money, and not vice versa,” noted the head of the SBU press service, Marina Ostapenko. Mr. Kalinin also said that “money was the only demand of the criminals.”

According to the SBU, the age of the detainees is from 30 to 40 years, all with higher education, and one of them is related to scientific activities.

Let us remind you that on April 27, four explosions occurred in the center of Dnepropetrovsk, during which 31 people were injured, including 10 children. 26 people were hospitalized. Explosions occurred at a tram stop near the Opera and Ballet Theater, near the railway station, next to the assembly college and next to the city park. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, all the explosive devices turned out to be homemade and were placed in concrete urns. The power of the first explosion was 160 g of TNT, the second - already 190 g, the third - 230 g and the fourth - 300 g. In connection with the explosions, the prosecutor's office opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Art. 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (a terrorist act committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons; provides for imprisonment for a term of 7 to 12 years).

This afternoon, during a report on the progress of the investigation of the case to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, Prosecutor General Viktor Pshonka announced the detention of two more suspects. At the same time, the Prosecutor General noted that the investigation has “evidence confirming that it was these individuals who committed the explosions in Dnepropetrovsk.” In addition, Mr. Pshonka told the president that the Prosecutor General’s Office intends to study “the political views of all detainees.” “The investigation will find out,” the prosecutor general said, “to what extent the political sympathies of the detainees influenced the crimes they committed.”

President Yanukovych, in turn, said that security forces need to take into account the lessons of the Dnepropetrovsk explosions, and asked them to focus on ensuring security during the European Football Championship.

Vyacheslav Khripun, Kyiv

The Security Service of Ukraine paid for the terrorist attacks