A CIVIL servant dubbed Russia’s hottest terrorist has been put behind bars for 21 years for allegedly committing pro-Ukraine sabotage attacks.
Viktoria Shinkaruk, a 29-year-old woman, has been detained on orders from Vladimir Putin, who suspects her of plotting “terrorist attacks” targeting a railway and oil refineries.
Shinkaruk was sent down by a military court after they found her guilty of acquiring and smuggling explosives.
The court also alleged that she was working on behalf of Ukraine as they claimed Shinkaruk took part in a “dead drop” for Kyiv.
A dead drop is when a person leaves cash – £780 in Shinkaruk’s case – inside a bin at a supermarket.
The Russian court said the dropped money was designed to be “used by terrorists” across the border.
Shinkaruk has constantly denied having any knowledge of the money being used for terrorist purposes.
She claims to have just been following instructions from her exiled spouse who later turned out to be working for Ukraine.
Husband Evgeny Kisel, 36, spent months helping out Ukrainian military intelligence, it is claimed.
The money was being used as part of larger Ukrainian plot to blow up a gas pipeline and a Wagner private army base, according to prosecutors.
Dubbed Russia’s “most beautiful terrorist” after her conviction, Shinkaruk begged prosecutors to keep her out of jail.
She pleaded her innocence in court as she told the judge: “I am totally against any kind of violence. I would never connect my life with this kind of activity.
“I was born in Belgorod and I had no desire to contribute to any explosions being carried out in my city.
“If I had known [my husband] was a member of [terrorist] communities, I would not have had any contact with him.”
The judge didn’t accept her reasons and slapped Shinkaruk with a 21-year sentence.
Key evidence that put her away came from a double agent who was never identified to the court.
Her co-accused mechanic pal, Alexander Kholodkov, 38, was given a year extra despite allegedly leaving over £3,000 more in the dead drop.
Kholodkov is said to have withdrawn £3,900 and was charged with the same offences.
Both were convicted of participation in a terrorist organisation, preparation for a terrorist act, illegal acquisition and smuggling of explosives, preparation for the manufacture of explosives, and smuggling of strategically important goods and resources.
Shinkaruk’s closest friends were left in disbelief when they heard about the trial.
A male pal said: “I don’t believe that she could do anything against the country.
“She is a really smart girl, very attractive, during all the time we talked, I never heard her make any dubious statements.
“She loves our country.”
Another friend called Sergei, told Regnum news agency: “I think her husband brainwashed her that this money would supposedly help him avoid a criminal case.
“She was a fool, and just wanted to help.
“Now she will lose her youth, the opportunity to start a family [by being locked up in jail].”
Vlad’s spy mania
Spy maniac Putin has a deep-seated obsession with espionage, secrecy, and counterintelligence, which has profoundly influenced his leadership style and decision-making, especially during wartime.
Mad Vlad’s paranoia is rooted in his background as a KGB officer, where he developed a worldview dominated by suspicion and the belief that deception is a necessary tool in statecraft.
Over the years, this has led to a culture of mistrust within the Russian government, where the tyrant surrounds himself with loyalists, particularly those from security or intelligence backgrounds, reinforcing a tightly controlled and secretive regime.
Putin’s obsession with espionage has seen a focus on sabotage and cyberattacks against Ukraine, alongside a heightened fear of Western espionage.
This paranoia has driven efforts to insulate Russia from external influences, including limiting access to Western technology and tightening internet control.
The ageing dictator previously arrested at least 12 leading hypersonic missile scientists on suspicion of “high treason”.
The despot’s henchmen had been busy purging top aerospace and rocket experts over fears they were leaking secrets to Nato.
Russia in March charged another professor, Dr Alexander Kuranov, 76, with “high treason” and announced his trial would go ahead.
He was the latest in a list of over a dozen hypersonic scientists – many of whom are elderly – arrested in the past six years by Putin’s feared security service, the brutal FSB.
Putin – terrified of traitors – appears to be hellbent on seeking to silence those who know the most about his most secret weapon projects.
The trials have been shrouded in secrecy and evidence against the defendants has not been made public.
