Two Russian agents who were directing strikes against Defence Forces targets in Donetsk region have been detained, - SSU. PHOTO
The Security Service’s counter-intelligence unit has detained two Russian agents in the Donetsk region. The suspects were operating separately in Kramatorsk and Lyman, where they were directing enemy shelling of towns near the front line.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing the SSU press centre.
Using intelligence gathered by their agents, the Russians hoped to strike reserve command posts, staging areas and logistics depots belonging to the Defence Forces fighting on the front line in the east.
Espionage in Kramatorsk under the guise of municipal works
In Kramatorsk, a driver of a municipal aerial work platform was detained for coordinating air strikes on the city.
According to the investigation, the suspect was recruited remotely by the occupiers due to his pro-Russian views. To direct enemy fire, he collected the coordinates of the Defence Forces’ artillery positions on the outskirts of Kramatorsk and passed them on to the aggressor to carry out missile and drone strikes.
The perpetrator stored the information he had gathered on his smartphone for subsequent ‘reporting’ to his handler in Russia.
To conceal his contacts with the enemy, the agent regularly deleted his correspondence, and to confirm his identity at the start of each communication session, he used a "password-greeting".
But this did not help him. SSU officers documented every step of the suspect’s espionage activities and caught him ‘red-handed’ whilst he was conducting further reconnaissance near a military facility.
Reconnaissance in Lyman and the transmission of geodata via a "deputy"
In Lyman, a former employee of the local branch of "Ukrzaliznytsia" was exposed; he had been recruited by the Russians through an acquaintance – a "deputy" from the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region.
Following his instructions, the agent patrolled the frontline town to record and pass on to the enemy the geolocations of the Defence Forces and defensive structures.
After each reconnaissance mission, the perpetrator marked the identified targets on Google Maps to pass them on to a "liaison officer", who then reported to Russian intelligence officers.
Arrest and charges
The Security Service’s counter-intelligence unit detained the suspect in Sloviansk, to which he had been evacuated by Ukrainian defenders from a town near the front line.
During searches of the detainees, smartphones containing evidence of collaboration with the enemy were seized.
Investigators from the Security Service have informed both suspects of the charges against them under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 2 of Article 111 (treason committed under martial law);
- Article 114-2(3) (unauthorised disclosure of information regarding the movement, deployment or location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under martial law).
The suspects are currently in custody. They face sentences ranging from 12 years’ imprisonment to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
