Russian agent spying on air defense positions in Ukraine sentenced to 15 years in prison—SBU

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) gathered extensive evidence against another FSB agent who had been providing Russia with locations of Ukrainian air defenses and checkpoints in Cherkasy Oblast, according to SBU. SBU counterintelligence agents detained him as a result of a special operation in January 2023. Based on the materials provided by Ukrainian intelligence, the court sentenced him to 15 years in prison. The investigation revealed that the collaborator was a local hospital employee remotely recruited by FSB for clandestine cooperation in November 2022. He had been taking photographs of the deployment and movement of defense units in Cherkasy Oblast, with particular attention on Ukrainian air defense positions. Among other information of interest were precise coordinates of checkpoints, the number of military personnel, their weaponry and equipment, information on mobilization efforts, and Ukrainian defenders’ level of military preparedness and motivation. Russian occupiers used this information to prepare a series of missile strikes in the region. The spy transmitted the acquired information through an anonymous chat on Messenger, attaching location markers on an electronic map. Based on the collected evidence, the court found him guilty under the Criminal Code of Ukraine for state treason committed under conditions of martial law. This is already not the first case of Russian spies in Ukraine detained and sentenced for state treason:

Ukrainian citizen of Russian origin receives life sentence for aiding Russian missile strikes on Lviv