Ukrainian Security Forces have successfully apprehended a 40-year-old Kyiv resident operating as an agent for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported in a Telegram post published on 4 December.
The SBU says this operative played a critical role in coordinating missile strikes on Kyiv, specifically targeting Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko. The strikes occurred almost a year ago, on 31 December 2022.
Additionally, the agent was actively engaged in espionage, collecting intelligence on the locations of Ukrainian military headquarters and personnel in both Kyiv and the Zhytomyr oblasts, according to the SBU.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched an operation to identify and apprehend the suspected agent in his Kyiv home.
Upon SBU investigation, it was reportedly revealed that the individual had professed pro-Kremlin views and had even gone as far as declaring himself a “volunteer” to assist the aggressor in their war against Ukraine. He had left Ukraine through third countries, ultimately reaching Russia and voluntarily approached an FSB officer, expressing his willingness to collaborate with Russian intelligence.
To prove his loyalty, he immediately provided coordinates purportedly identifying the location of a Ukrainian defense unit within Kyiv Oblast, the SBU says. Within days, Russian forces launched an airstrike based on the information provided by the agent, targeting the falsely identified location.
The SBU says the agent was then taken to Moscow, where he underwent detailed training on espionage methods, covert operations, and high-priority tasks. Following this, he returned to Ukraine to gather intelligence, after he was promised Russian citizenship and timely evacuation.
He reportedly operated undercover in Zhytomyr Oblast, using his relatives who lived there to collect information. In Kyiv, he conducted independent surveillance and documented Ukrainian assets during his city walks, according to the security agency.
Based on the evidence gathered, the SBU has charged the suspect with state betrayal under Article 111 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code, an offense that carries a potential life sentence. Currently, he is taken into custody.
Read also:
- One killed, 24 injured in Russia’s New Year’s Eve missile strike on Ukraine (Dec 31, 2022)
- Russia targets Ukraine’s residential areas, not civilian infrastructure on New Year’s Eve – foreign minister (Dec 31, 2022)
- Russia will likely continue drone attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine trying to break the Ukrainian will to fight – ISW (Jan 1, 2023)
