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Russia Uses Old KGB Trick to Get Rid of Ukrainian Soldiers Not on Battlefield. It’s Already Tried More than 50 Times This Year

The SBU said it has foiled more than 50 assassination attempts since January 2026 as Russian agents used fake dating profiles to target soldiers.

  • The Security Service of Ukraine warned that Russian intelligence services have intensified efforts to assassinate Ukrainian soldiers using "honey traps"—fake online dating encounters designed to lure military personnel into pre-prepared locations for attacks.
  • Military counterintelligence officials reported on Tuesday that the SBU has foiled more than 50 such assassination attempts since the start of 2026, with operatives primarily using dating websites and messenger platforms to target soldiers.
  • Russian operatives employ varied tactics including improvised explosive devices and deadly poisons synthesized from narcotics. In January 2026, an attacker stabbed a soldier six times in Zaporizhzhia after luring him under the pretext of a "date."
  • Investigations are ongoing under multiple articles of Ukraine's Criminal Code, including treason and premeditated murder. Those convicted face life imprisonment with property confiscation.
  • Beyond dating traps, FSB agents have used "volunteer" assistance to deliver lethal substances. In March 2025, an agent in Kharkiv handed a soldier medicine laced with poison, while another suggested a soldier drink a "gift" of methadone during a video call.
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Center

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has warned that Russian intelligence services have significantly stepped up their efforts to assassinate Ukrainian soldiers using "love traps" – fake dating on online dating sites. SBU says it has played more than 50 such attempts this year, according to Kyiv Post.

·Bucharest, Romania
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Lean Right

The Ukrainian security service (SBU) has already thwarted more than fifty attempts by Russia this year to kill soldiers on the front lines through online dating and staged romantic dates, reports Ukrainska Pravda.

·Amsterdam, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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Lean Left

The enemy is becoming increasingly cunning. Russia is increasingly using "honey traps" to kill Ukrainian soldiers. The enemy is "hunting" for Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers on dating sites and elsewhere, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing a statement from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU explained that the "honey trap" is a tactic used by Russian intelligence agencies to target Ukrainian soldiers under the guise of dates with women. Over…

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rbc.ua broke the news on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
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