Ukrainian Security Service Detains Russian Spy in Dnipropetrovsk Region
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has apprehended an individual acting as a spy for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation within the State Special Transport Service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. The suspect, a mobilized soldier in a combat brigade of the service, was caught during his basic military training at a training ground, reports 24brussels.
The investigation revealed that the soldier was recruited by Russian forces shortly after his mobilization. His pro-Russian comments on social media attracted the attention of the Russian military intelligence (GRU), which subsequently targeted him for recruitment.
According to the SBU, the primary objective of the agent was to adjust airstrikes against Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The detained individual reportedly provided the GRU with geolocations of his military unit during his training.
After establishing communication with the GRU through a messenger service, the agent began to gather coordinates of adjacent military formations that were also potential targets for Russian strikes. He transmitted this information using Google Maps markers, detailing potential “targets.”
The military counterintelligence division of the SBU preemptively identified the spy, documenting his contacts with the Russian GRU and effecting his arrest. During the operation, measures were implemented to secure the locations of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in areas of heightened enemy intelligence activity. A search of the suspect’s premises yielded a mobile phone containing evidence of his work for the enemy.
The suspect has been charged under Article 111, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for state treason committed under martial law. The court has remanded him in custody, and he faces a sentence of life imprisonment along with property confiscation.
Earlier reports indicated that, with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a Russian military intelligence agent was uncovered within the ranks of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who was preparing for strikes by occupying forces on Ukrainian airbases housing Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighter jets, as well as Su-24 bombers.
