The Security Service of Ukraine, with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, detained another FSB agent in the Mykolaiv region. He was identified as a local mobilised serviceman recruited by Russian forces who helped direct Russian strikes on Ukraine’s southern regions.
Investigators established that while serving in one of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s artillery brigades, the suspect provided targeting information for Russian missile and drone attacks against neighbouring Defence Forces units in the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions.
According to the case materials, the suspect remotely coordinated his activities with an officer of the FSB’s military counterintelligence service. The agent used an anonymous messenger chat to communicate with his Russian handler.
SSU cyber specialists uncovered the serviceman’s contacts with the Russian security service, documented his intelligence-gathering activities and detained him at his place of service.
The investigation found that the soldier came to the FSB’s attention after leaving his military unit without authorisation and searching for “easy money” on Telegram.
After being recruited, the deserter returned to service to carry out intelligence assignments, covertly recording the locations of logistics warehouses and concentrations of Defence Forces equipment.
In addition, Russian forces hoped to obtain from the agent the personal details of commanders of Ukrainian Armed Forces units involved in fighting on the southern front.
The agent collected the information for subsequent reporting to the FSB in the form of screenshots of Google Maps showing marked Ukrainian facilities.
During searches, investigators seized a smartphone containing evidence of his work for the Russian security service. SSU officers also carried out comprehensive measures to protect Defence Forces personnel in the area affected by Russian espionage activity.
SSU investigators notified the detainee that he is suspected of committing an offence under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — high treason committed under martial law. The suspect is being held in custody without the right to bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
