Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies have been hit by a wave of anonymous phone calls with fake terrorist threats of bombing in recent days, Ukraine’s SBU security service wrote on its Facebook page on April 26.
“In the last week alone in various regions of Ukraine there were 93 fake anonymous (bomb threats), received by telephone or sent via the Internet,” SBU says.
The SBU said it connected the unusually high number of hoax bomb threats with the elections in Ukraine. It said the threats are intended to destabilize the social and political situation in the country.
“This provokes the emergence of social tension, dissatisfaction with the activities of law enforcement and government, causing panic and fear,” the SBU said.
Because law enforcement officers have to investigate the false reports, financial losses are caused to public and commercial entities as they need to temporarily stop their activities. They also disrupt the work of transport services and other strategically important objects.
“Even today (April 26) in the capital (of Ukraine) there were a number of fake bomb calls about threats in train stations and administrative buildings. More than 2,000 people have been evacuated from potentially dangerous places,” the SBU report says.
Among the strategic buildings threatened were Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, Kyiv’s Zhuliany airport and Darnytsia railway station. However, no explosives were found.
Since the beginning of this year in Ukraine 107 cases of fake bomb calls have been disclosed and 94 perpetrators have been identified, according to SBU.
The SBU said a first time offence of making a hoax bomb threat was punishable by from two to six years in prison. Repeat offenses are punishable by terms of from four to eight years.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine also reported on April 26 on uptick in unconfirmed bomb threat reports around Ukraine, including at airports, government buildings, and several metro stations.
The embassy advised U.S. citizens to avoid crowds, expect a heavier than normal police presence, be aware of one’s surroundings, to follow local law enforcement instructions, and monitor local media for updates.
