Espreso. Global

Person pretending to be Ukrainian military officer arrested by SBU in Dnipro

18 September, 2023 Monday
14:58

The individual was actually an agent of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and had been posing as a Ukrainian officer to gather information about the Ukrainian Armed Forces. If convicted, the detainee could face life imprisonment

client/title.list_title

The SBU reported this development.

SBU stated that their counterintelligence unit conducted a complex operation in Dnipro to apprehend the FSB agent.

His primary mission was to gather intelligence on the movements of Ukrainian Armed Forces units involved in the eastern front's counteroffensive. To conceal his activities, he dressed in the uniform of Ukrainian soldiers.

The report reveals that the Russian agent focused on monitoring the routes of military equipment and weapons transport by rail, as well as the locations of Ukrainian Air Defense Forces in the regional center. 

To collect this information, the detainee regularly visited various parts of the city, taking photographs of Ukrainian facilities.

The captured data was transmitted to his FSB handler via a messaging app, including text messages and media files. 

He received monetary rewards from the Russian special service for each completed task, and these payments were concealed through cryptocurrency transactions.

Investigation details 

The investigation found that the occupiers required this intelligence to plan combat operations and acts of sabotage aimed at impeding the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Vuhledar and Novosilka districts.

SBU personnel arrested the Russian agent while he was engaged in a task near a strategic site in Dnipro. During the search, a mobile phone containing evidence of communication with the aggressor and cartridges for automatic weapons were discovered.

As of now, the Security Service has formally informed the suspect of their suspicions under Article 111, Part 2 of the Criminal Code, which pertains to treason during wartime. There's also consideration for additional charges under Article 263 of the Criminal Code, related to illegal possession of weapons, ammunition, or explosives.

The individual is presently in custody and may face life imprisonment.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Ukrainian Constitution, a person is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

  • Additionally, the Security Service has disclosed information about the suspicion of a resident of Odesa who collaborated with Russian special services and leaked information about Ukrainian defense forces. 
  • Specifically, they arrested a resident of Kherson who, following the city's liberation, worked for Russian State Duma deputy Igor Kastyukevich and documented the locations of Ukrainian military units.
     
Tags:
Read also:
  • News
2025, Tuesday
18 February
21:30
EU plans to provide Ukraine with €6 billion military aid package amid US-Russia talks
21:15
Exclusive
Massive Russian force gathers near Ukraine's Lyman as attacks intensify
21:01
Exclusive
"Signal to world and primarily Europe": MP Tsymbaliuk on US-Russia negotiations
20:42
Ukraine will not legally recognize Russian-occupied territories, says Zelenskyy
20:26
Turkey is ideal for negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and US, says Erdogan
20:11
Updated
Fox News reports on proposed three-stage peace plan by Russia and US. Lavrov claims he hasn't seen it
19:56
Exclusive
Ukraine prepares for elections, says former SBU officer
19:40
OPINION
How 50% became stumbling block in Ukraine-US relations
19:25
UK Defence Secretary declares world is in "new era of threat"
19:09
How Ukrainian simulators help troops master new weapons
18:50
Exclusive
EU plans to extend sanctions against Russia - Espreso correspondent from Brussels
18:31
US-Ukraine mineral deal terms worse than Germany's post-war reparations – The Telegraph
18:10
Ukraine won't accept Russia's ultimatums: Zelenskyy on US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia
17:52
Zelenskyy, First Lady inaugurate Ukraine's new Embassy building in Ankara
17:30
Europe ready to ramp up defense efforts for Ukraine amid global pressure — Ursula von der Leyen
17:11
Russia says European peacekeepers in Ukraine would be viewed as “escalatory step”
16:54
Exclusive
Trump appears to be outmaneuvering both Beijing and Moscow, says political analyst
16:36
Exclusive
EU aims to compete with U.S. for global influence – Espreso correspondent from Brussels
16:15
Ukraine’s strike on rare Russian S-350 puts pressure on Moscow’s defenses
15:55
Ukraine Russia war live map, February 5-12
Russia's year-long push for Pokrovsk shows no success: military observer explains why
15:27
Exclusive
Europe faces a new reality – Ukrainian MP Knyazhytskyi from Paris
15:12
Lithuania calls for security guarantees before considering troop deployment to Ukraine
15:06
Updated
U.S. and Russia hold over 4-hour talks in Saudi Arabia
14:55
Ukraine allocates over $35 million to maintain Chornobyl shelter
14:31
Russia enhances accuracy of North Korean KN-23 missiles — Ukraine's spy chief
14:22
Reuters streams live from Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Kyiv authorities respond
14:16
Exclusive
If U.S. invades Russia, no one will resist — psychologist
13:53
Ukraine recovers 7,017 fallen defenders' bodies since start of Russia’s full-scale invasion
13:31
Exclusive
Ukraine needs two things to prevent Russia’s northeastern advance — Achilles regiment
12:52
China calls for "all parties" in Russia-Ukraine war to join peace talks
12:37
Poroshenko believes Zhevago is under sanctions because his family owns Espreso TV channel
12:17
OPINION
Ukraine buys time for Europe to wake up
11:55
Exclusive
Security guarantees for Ukraine have nothing to do with peacekeeping forces in war zone — expert
11:34
Firefighting ongoing at Chornobyl NPP following Russian drone strike
11:15
Review
Russia escalates attacks on Ukraine amid latest U.S. statements. Serhiy Zgurets’ column
10:52
Exclusive
"Step toward U.S.-Russia dialogue": expert on upcoming meeting in Saudi Arabia
10:34
Russian UAV attack on Ukraine: Mother, two children injured in Kirovohrad region; debris sparks fires in Kyiv
10:27
Ceasefire between Russia, Ukraine would not end martial law — Defense Committee
09:57
Europe may deploy up to 30,000 troops to Ukraine
09:35
Russia loses 1,170 soldiers, 12 tanks, 181 UAVs in one day of war in Ukraine
More news