Belarusian KGB spy tried to "integrate" into Main Intelligence Directorate of Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. She was detained in Kyiv – Security Service of Ukraine. PHOTOS
The Security Service of Ukraine, together with the Internal Security Department of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, prevented a Belarusian KGB agent from infiltrating units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
The press centers of the SBU and the HUR reported this, Censor.NET says.
Details of the special operation
As a result of a multi-stage special operation, a deeply undercover spy was detained in Kyiv; she had been working for the KGB of the Republic of Belarus since 2015. According to the case materials, in 2020, she was sent from Minsk for agent work in Ukraine.
By that time, the spy was already on the SBU’s radar, and the agency documented the enemy’s intelligence activity in stages.
- The investigation established that the hostile task was carried out by a 35-year-old citizen of the Republic of Belarus. She operated under the cover of journalistic activity and, for some time, worked as a staff correspondent for Viktor Medvedchuk’s "112 Channel" in the former Soviet Union countries.
- After Medvedchuk’s outlets were shut down, the KGB of the Republic of Belarus, coordinated by Belarus’ top military and political leadership, "sent" the agent to Ukraine.
The spy's mission
Even before the full-scale war began, the suspect got a job at one of the country’s leading media outlets. She used this work and her colleagues’ connections at this media outlet to expand her personal contacts among Ukrainian politicians, military personnel, and foreign diplomats.
During the full-scale invasion, the agent’s handler instructed her to travel to one of the EU countries for additional briefing. The woman crossed the border under a fabricated pretext of undergoing a medical examination.
To contact a Belarusian intelligence officer on EU territory, the suspect bought a new smartphone with a "disposable" SIM card and then got rid of the device.
During the briefing, the spy was tasked with collecting information on citizens of Belarus and Russia who are helping Ukraine in its fight against the aggressor state.
- The agent was also tasked by the Belarusian KGB with establishing informal contacts with officials of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Ukraine to gather intelligence on the activities of Chinese diplomats in Ukraine.
- After returning to Kyiv, the agent tried to get a job in one of the staff units of Ukraine’s military intelligence, where she came under the scrutiny of the HUR’s Internal Security Department.
Arrest and suspicion
Thanks to the timely exposure of the spy, SBU and HUR officers launched a long-term operational game with the Belarusian agent, which allowed not only to document her every step but also to regularly feed disinformation to the Belarusian special service through her, the SBU press center said.
In particular, the foreign intelligence service’s efforts were redirected to copying purported classified information that was being circulated around the spy in a controlled manner.
Among other things, attempts to select potential candidates for recruitment to the KGB's agent network were recorded.
After gathering a full evidence base against the spy, the SBU, in cooperation with the HUR of the Ministry of Defense, detained her near her place of residence. A smartphone and a voice recorder were seized from the suspect; she used them to record restricted information.
SBU investigators have served her with a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 114 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (espionage). The suspect is in custody. She faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
