Topic: Law enforcement
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Montenegro detains and expels founder of Russian propaganda network 'Rybar' and four associates
On 9 October, Montenegrin police, working with the country's National Security Agency, detained Mykhailo Zvinchuk, the founder of the Russian propaganda network "Rybar," along with his wife Valeriia Zvinchuk and three other Russian citizens in the town of Risan. All five have been ordered expelled on national-security grounds and had their residence permits revoked. The operation comes as "Rybar" is already under EU, UK and US sanctions, with the US State Department offering up to $10 million for information on its associates.
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Russia seeks extradition of ICC President Tomoko Akane from the Netherlands
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has formally requested that the Netherlands extradite International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, and sent similar requests to other countries for eight additional ICC figures, including former Prosecutor Karim Khan. The move is the latest escalation in Russia's confrontation with the ICC following its March 2023 arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin over the deportation of Ukrainian children, and comes alongside US sanctions on the court.
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Russian guided-bomb strikes on Zaporizhzhia kill one, injure 23 and damage residential blocks
On the morning of 9 October 2026, Russian forces struck Zaporizhzhia with guided aerial bombs (KABs) between 04:50 and 05:59, killing one man and injuring at least 23 people. The strikes damaged 24 multi-storey residential buildings, an extracurricular education facility, vehicles and the office of the humanitarian mission "Proliska." Ukrainian authorities opened a war-crime investigation under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
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Full 20 million hryvnias bail posted for ex-presidential aide Iryna Mudra in "Forest Gump" case
The full court-set bail of 20 million hryvnias has been posted for Iryna Mudra, a former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and a suspect in the "Forest Gump" money-laundering investigation led by NABU and SAP. The Higher Anti-Corruption Court (ВАКС) confirmed the payment on 8 October, allowing her release from pretrial detention. Mudra's defense had previously failed in an attempt to reduce the bail to 12.5 million hryvnias.
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Danish intelligence: Russia running sabotage campaign against Ukraine-linked defence suppliers
Denmark's Security and Intelligence Service (PET) publicly accused Russia on 7 October of conducting sabotage operations against Danish companies that supply goods to Ukraine. Speaking at an internal security conference in Copenhagen, lead analyst Josephine Christensen said the shift from planning to executed operations in early summer represents a significant escalation of Moscow's hybrid warfare. PET said Russia is recruiting unprepared proxies — including homeless and drug-addicted people — via Telegram and other social networks.
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Ukraine serves in absentia notice of suspicion on Black Sea Fleet commander over Kyiv apartment attack
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and prosecutors served an in absentia notice of suspicion on Admiral Serhiy Pinchuk, commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, for ordering the 8 July 2024 cruise missile strike on a residential apartment building in Kyiv that killed 13 people including 5 children. Investigators say the strike was carried out with 3M-14 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from the frigate Admiral Makarov and the submarine B-261 Veliky Novgorod in the Black Sea, on the basis of a combat order signed by Pinchuk. The notice was served in absentia because Pinchuk is in Russia.
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Trial begins in absentia over Russian strike on Hroza cafe that killed 59
Ukrainian prosecutors have sent to court the case over the October 5, 2023 Russian Iskander-M missile strike on the Sputnik cafe in the village of Hroza, Kharkiv Oblast, which killed 59 people, including a child, during a memorial lunch. Seven defendants — two local brothers accused of guiding the attack and five Russian military commanders — will be tried in absentia.
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Berlin prosecutors probe tenants of "Russian House" over suspected sanctions violations
The Berlin prosecutor's office is investigating tenants of Berlin's "Russian House" cultural center for alleged violations of Germany's Foreign Trade Act, as several outlets inside the building continue to operate despite the German government's decision to close it. The probe targets an entity linked to Rossotrudnichestvo, a Russian state agency under EU sanctions since 2022, and is part of a broader German response to alleged Russian sabotage.
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German investigation names Russian biker as organizer of failed drone attack on Ukrainian plane at Leipzig airport
A drone carrying 1.8 kg of Semtex struck the wing of a parked Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night of August 5, 2026, but failed to detonate. A joint investigation by The Telegraph and Welt am Sonntag identified Russian biker Oleg Levushkin as the suspected organizer and Belarusian agent Andrei Karshakov as the suspected direct executor. On September 1, Germany officially accused Russia of the hybrid attack and announced countermeasures, including closing the Russian consulate general in Bonn.
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Ukrainian suspect in Nord Stream sabotage seeks asylum in Croatia to avoid extradition to Germany
Volodymyr Zhuravlov, a Ukrainian citizen suspected by German investigators of involvement in the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, has applied for political asylum in Croatia, his lawyer Mykola Katerynchuk said. The asylum request comes after a district court in Pula ruled to allow his extradition to Germany, a decision the defense is appealing. Zhuravlov justified the request by saying he would not receive a fair trial in Germany.
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Estonia blames Russian special services for sabotage at Milrem Robotics building in Tallinn
Estonia's Security Police concluded that the 14–15 August fire at the Tallinn building of defense company Milrem Robotics — a supplier of unmanned ground vehicles to Ukraine — was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian special services. Three Latvian suspects have been detained and Estonia summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires on 29 September; the Kremlin rejected the accusations as unfounded.
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Russia offers $20 million bounty for location of Ukrainian drone commander 'Madyar' Brovdi
The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has placed a $20 million bounty through post-Soviet criminal networks for information leading to the location of Robert 'Madyar' Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces. Russian courts have convicted Brovdi in absentia on terrorism charges. Brovdi told WSJ his unit accounts for about one-third of Russian losses over the past year, despite making up only 2.5% of Ukraine's armed forces.
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Several detained near US Fairford airbase in UK on suspicion of explosives offences
Several people were detained in the UK on 27 September near the US Fairford airbase in Gloucestershire on suspicion of offences under the Explosives Act. Residents of the nearby village of Welford were evacuated, and a military bomb disposal unit was deployed to examine vehicles. US President Donald Trump said the suspects had been under surveillance for an extended period and had planned to cause major harm to the airbase, but authorities have not confirmed any link to Iran.
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Grenade blast in Sheptytskyi injures four; military serviceman on leave detained
A grenade exploded on a main avenue in Sheptytskyi, Lviv Oblast, late on the evening of September 26, wounding four local residents — three women aged 17, 18 and 56 and a 26-year-old man. Police identified the person who detonated the device as a 36-year-old resident of Sheptytskyi district, an active-duty serviceman who was on leave at the time, and detained him under Article 208 of Ukraine's Criminal Procedure Code. A criminal proceeding has been opened under Part 4 of Article 296 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism involving a weapon), which carries a penalty of three to seven years in prison.
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Ukrainian citizen attacks Benedictine monastery in Poland, killing at least one priest
A 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen carried out a knife attack on the morning of 24 September at a Benedictine sisters' monastery in Jarosław, in southeastern Poland, killing at least one priest and injuring five other people. The attacker was detained at the scene. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk both responded, with Zelensky calling it a "horrible crime" and Tusk pledging full enforcement of Polish law.
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Former Ukrainian Prosecutor General Kravchenko registered residence in Vienna after leaving Ukraine
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and his wife Oleksandra registered their residence at an office address in central Vienna, according to Ukrainska Pravda, citing documents from Austria's Central Register of Residence. The registration followed Kravchenko's departure from Ukraine on 14 September, his suspension by President Zelensky the same evening, and the Verkhovna Rada's 317-vote acceptance of his dismissal on 15 September. Kravchenko remained abroad after his self-arranged business trip to Paris ended on 18 September and tendered his resignation on 21 September.
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Ukraine ministry probes restoration department director over alleged bribe linked to previous job
Investigative actions took place on 23 September at Ukraine's Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport over allegations that Viktor Steblinenko, Director of the Restoration Policy Department, received illicit benefit in connection with his previous position. The ministry says the case is unrelated to his current duties and has moved to suspend him and launch an internal audit.
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Former Ukrainian prosecutor general Kravchenko fired from prosecution service after failing to return from abroad
Former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, who left Ukraine on a self-arranged five-day business trip in mid-September, had not returned to work at the Office of the Prosecutor General by 14:00 on 21 September, three days after his trip officially ended. He had already been suspended by the president on 14 September and dismissed by parliament on 15 September, and on 21 September he was formally removed from the prosecution service by acting Prosecutor General Anton Kovalsky.
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Ukraine ends simplified СЗЧ return program; longer general procedure now in place
Ukraine's Ministry of Defence announced that the simplified voluntary return program for servicemembers whose unauthorized absence (СЗЧ) was recorded before 12 June 2026 ended on 20 September. Returns are now processed under a general procedure through the Military Law Enforcement Service (ВСП) and reserve battalions, with a longer process, longer wait for pay restoration, and no option to independently choose a unit.
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Zelensky: SBU military counterintelligence deploys new drone interceptor against Russian 'Geran-5'
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on September 19 that the SBU's military counterintelligence created a new interceptor drone and used it successfully against Russian reactive "Geran-5" Shahed-type drones, including twice in a single day. Zelensky said he was informed of the results by acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, and published video footage of the intercept. The development comes as Ukraine faces an interception gap with faster reactive drones and is testing multiple interceptor models while seeking to scale up production.