Terrorist attack in Kremenchuk: 17-year-old schoolboy arrested for attempting to blow up a police station

Attempted terrorist attack in Kremenchuk, illustrative photo: istockphoto

A 17-year-old student from Kremenchuk has been taken into custody in Poltava on suspicion of attempting to carry out a terrorist attack near a police station.

This is reported in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.

According to the investigation, the Year 11 student acted on instructions from a handler via the Telegram messaging app and planted two explosive devices, made from fire extinguishers, near the police station.

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The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Poltava granted the SSU’s request and imposed a preventive measure on the teenager in the form of 60 days’ detention without the right to bail.

As established by the pre-trial investigation, the boy made contact with an unidentified individual using the pseudonym ‘Partisan’, from whom he received instructions and money. In a garage cooperative, he personally constructed two explosive devices, reinforcing them with nuts to increase their destructive power.

On the night of 17 April, the suspect planted one bomb near the entrance to the police station in Kremenchuk and the other under a tree nearby, but was unable to carry out the crime for reasons beyond his control.

SBU officers detained the schoolboy that same morning. During searches of his garage, they found remnants of components used to make explosives, and at the scene of the incident – the devices themselves and items he had attempted to dispose of.

Prosecutors emphasised that the boy was aware of the danger of his actions, which could have resulted in civilian casualties and significant damage to property.

According to the court ruling, the teenager is charged with attempting to commit a terrorist act (Part 2 of Article 15 and Part 1 of Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The judge took into account the seriousness of the offence, which carries a sentence of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment, as well as the fact that the young man had previously been on record for domestic violence against his grandparents. The investigation is currently ongoing, with law enforcement officers identifying the organiser who directed the minor’s actions via Telegram.

It should be noted that an indictment had previously been filed against a 20-year-old resident of the Odesa region. He was planning a terrorist attack in Mykolaiv in October 2025.