Russian GRU agent who tried to persuade mayor of Ochakiv to ’hand over’ city to Russians has been sentenced to 15 years in prison
Based on evidence gathered by counterintelligence and investigators from the Security Service, a Russian agent—who was exposed by the SSU in March 2023 in the Mykolaiv region—was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
It turned out to be a former commander of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ special operations centers who had been recruited by the enemy and had taken a position on the Ochakiv City Council, according to Censor.NET.
Details
The investigation revealed that the perpetrator was carrying out a mission for Russian military intelligence to gather intelligence for the capture of the port city.
To do this, the agent had to persuade city officials to cooperate with the Russians.
It has been documented that, in exchange for "surrendering" the city, the mayor was offered a "position" within the Russian Federation's occupation administration in the event that the coastal community was captured.
However, the SSU's counterintelligence unit acted preemptively and prevented the mayor from being recruited.
During searches of the "mole's" residence, authorities discovered a cell phone he had used to exchange coded messages with his handler from the Russian GRU. Thermal imaging devices and unregistered firearms with ammunition were also seized from him.
According to the investigation, Russian intelligence recruited the former military officer after the full-scale war began, when he took a job as an assistant to the mayor of Ochakiv.
Initially, the official gathered intelligence for the Russians on the locations of Defense Forces bases involved in defending coastal areas.
To this end, the agent attempted to leverage his connections among former military personnel and current officials.
Based on evidence provided by the Security Service, the court found the defendant guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- treason committed under martial law;
- illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives.
