Ukrainian Security Service Detains Former Colonel for Espionage
On July 8, 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted a special operation resulting in the arrest of a former military officer, a reserve colonel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. After retiring in 2023, he allegedly began collaborating with a general from the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia. The suspect collected information about the deployment of Ukrainian troops near the border in the Sumy region and attempted to establish a spy network in the area, reports 24brussels.
The suspect utilized acquaintances among Ukrainian servicemen for covert surveillance. He assisted the FSB general in creating an intelligence network in the border region, recruiting both active and former military personnel. The mission included identifying “like-minded individuals,” whose recruitment would be directly handled by Russian intelligence officers. Following “successful interviews,” the agent was to facilitate the transfer of candidates to Russia for “briefings.”
The SBU apprehended the reserve colonel while he was in the process of selecting a new candidate. He was found in possession of a phone containing evidence of his collaboration with the FSB. He has been charged with treason and illegal facilitation of cross-border movement. The suspect is now in custody, facing life imprisonment and asset confiscation.
In a related incident, SBU representatives also detained a 49-year-old woman from Rivne who was allegedly planning to detonate a hotel in the city under orders from Russian intelligence services.
