In a shocking turn of events, the suspect behind the bombing of GRU officer Andrey Torgashov's car in Moscow has claimed that he was acting on the orders of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU). Yevhen Serebryakov, who was arrested for placing the explosive device that severely damaged Torgashov's vehicle, alleges that he was promised Ukrainian citizenship and a substantial sum of money in exchange for carrying out the operation.

Serebryakov was apprehended in Turkey on July 24, just hours after the attack on Torgashov. It is believed that he intended to continue his journey to Ukraine. According to the suspect, he initiated contact with Ukrainian intelligence in February 2023 through a public group administrator, expressing his willingness to cooperate.

Communicating with someone he believes to be an SBU agent named Ilya, Serebryakov claims they corresponded through a messaging platform and even had a meeting in Istanbul. It was during this interaction that he received the components to construct the explosive device and was instructed to eliminate the GRU officer.

In a video released on YouTube by Russia's anti-terrorist committee, Serebryakov revealed that Ilya promised him Ukrainian citizenship and a reward of $10,000 to $20,000 for carrying out the bombing. The suspect followed Ilya's instructions, assembling the bomb and placing it beneath Torgashov's car.

The Kyiv Post reached out to an SBU spokesperson for comment on the alleged involvement of Ukrainian intelligence in the Moscow bombing. However, no response has been received thus far.

In a separate development, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, provided a briefing regarding the capture of a suspect linked to the murder of ultranationalist professor Iryna Farion on July 19. The suspect, whose arrest warrant had been issued by a Moscow court, will be detained after interrogation.

Russian officials, including Alexander Bortnikov, Director of Russia's State Security Service (FSB), and Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, confirmed that Serebryakov's arrest was made possible through cooperation with Turkish Prosecutor General Muhsin Şentürk. Turkey has agreed to extradite individuals sought by Russian law enforcement agencies.

The bombing incident occurred on the morning of July 24, when an explosive device detonated in a Toyota Land Cruiser parked near a residential building on Sinyavinskaya Street in Moscow. The victim was identified as 49-year-old GRU Major Andrey Torgashov, who suffered severe injuries along with his wife Maya as they were about to enter the car.

According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs' official Telegram channel, Torgashov is the deputy head of the satellite communication center of military unit 33790 in the Moscow region. Reports indicate that the blast resulted in the severing of the major's feet and caused facial lacerations to his wife. Both were rushed to Botkin Hospital, with the officer's condition described as critical. Law enforcement sources suggest that the attack may be linked to Torgashov's professional activities.

However, statements made later in the day cast doubt on the initial claims, as both Torgashov and his wife appeared before Russian media to deny any involvement and assert that another couple had been affected. Torgashov stated that he did not own a Land Cruiser and did not reside in that specific area.

Furthermore, sources have revealed that the injured man is actually another military officer, a colonel from Russia's General Staff also named Torgashov, who is associated with military unit 45807 connected with Russian military intelligence.

As the investigation progresses, authorities will be focusing on unraveling the truth behind these conflicting accounts and determining the full extent of involvement by Ukrainian intelligence in the Moscow car bombing.