Ukraine Detains Teen Girl Suspected of Poisoning Soldiers for Russian Handler

Ukrainian police announced on Friday that they have detained a 17-year-old girl suspected of helping Russian security services poison Ukrainian soldiers, two of whom have died.

The suspect, who was not named, was arrested in Zhytomyr, a city west of Kyiv. Police said she allegedly followed instructions from a Russian handler and was promised at least 5,000 hryvnias, about $111, for her work.

According to a police statement, she packaged deadly drugs and sent them to soldiers whom she had contacted through Telegram. The soldiers received parcels of what they were told were "free drugs" and were "instructed to take them on camera," the statement said.

"The recipients did not know that the capsules contained a lethal dose of methadone," police said. They added that "two soldiers died from poisoning in the Zhytomyr region."

Investigators say they have identified other people who received the packages, an effort that "prevented four more murders" across the country.

The young woman has been told she is suspected of aiding and abetting the premeditated murder of two people as part of a prior conspiracy. She is also suspected of shipping drugs and psychotropic substances for distribution. Police said she faces up to 15 years in prison if found guilty.

Police warned that Russia aims "to kill our people and destabilize the situation within the country." They urged the public not to accept medication or other substances, or food and drinks of dubious origin, from people they do not know well.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other throughout the war, which began in 2022, of recruiting minors for acts of sabotage, including poisonings. Ukrainian authorities say they have opened thousands of investigations into collaboration with the enemy and regularly arrest people accused of working for Moscow.

Poisoning allegations have surfaced before. In 2023, Ukraine accused Russia of poisoning the wife of Kyrylo Budanov, who was then head of Ukraine's military intelligence and is now a presidential adviser. Several personnel from the intelligence service, known by its acronym GUR, were diagnosed with the same poisoning. Also in 2023, Paris prosecutors opened an investigation into the poisoning of a Russian journalist who made headlines by brandishing an anti-war slogan on state television.

In an interview with the British tabloid The Sun, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed he has survived "no fewer" than five or six assassination attempts since Russia invaded.