From Gamer to Bomber: How Russia Recruited a Young Man in Bucha

Four years after Russian forces committed atrocities in Bucha, Ukraine, a 21-year-old resident planted bombs outside his own apartment building. Bohdan Tymchenko was a quiet man. One evening in March, he logged on to his computer to play *World of Tanks*, a popular video game. Less than two weeks later, he placed two explosive devices at his home. His rapid transformation is part of a growing pattern. Russian intelligence services are recruiting Ukrainians online. They use promises of money or threats of coercion to persuade them to carry out sabotage attacks against their own country.