The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has discovered a network of female agents operating within the Donetsk region, acting on behalf of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and mercenaries from the Wagner group.
“What sets this adversary group apart is its exclusive recruitment of local women, who actively supported the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine,” the SBU reported on Telegram on Tuesday, Aug. 8.
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Following directives from their Russian handlers, the operatives were tasked with collecting intelligence on the numbers and movements of Ukrainian Defense Forces’ military equipment within the Donetsk region’s territory.
Their primary focus encompassed identifying and relaying the flight paths of Ukrainian combat aircraft, including attack helicopters near Avdiivka. Additionally, they sought information on the routes used for transporting heavy armored vehicles from frontline territories to active combat zones.
To gather intelligence, the agents conducted covert reconnaissance in the region, discreetly capturing photographs of Ukrainian assets.
The acquired information was relayed through two communication channels: one connecting them to the Russian FSB handler, and another to the representative of the Wagner group. Communication occurred via secure chats on a popular messaging platform.
SBU operatives successfully apprehended three members of the Russian intelligence agency during their intelligence-gathering activities. The investigation also identified a key figure within the group, who traveled to Russia at the onset of the full-scale invasion to coordinate operations from Russian territory.
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The four Russian agents are all residents of the Pokrovsky district. Their recruitment by Russian operatives predates Feb. 24, 2022, and they remained in a “standby mode” until recently.
Searches of the suspects’ residences yielded mobile phones used for intelligence and subversive operations in support of Russia.
Currently, the SBU investigators have notified the three detainees of their suspicion and placed them in custody. The ongoing investigation could result in life imprisonment for those involved.
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