SBU Uncovers GRU Agent Posing as Rescuer Scouting for HIMARS Positions in Odesa

Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) counter-intelligence apprehended another agent of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (GRU) during a multi-stage special operation in Odesa.

This agent was allegedly responsible for adjusting Russian air attacks on the city and gathering intelligence regarding the locations of Ukrainian defense forces in the region.

"In order to mask criminal activity, the perpetrator joined the ranks of the local detachment of volunteer rescuers," as reported by the SBU's press service on Oct. 9.

The investigation determined that the agent, posing as a rescuer, visited locations struck by Russian attacks, ostensibly for debris clearance. However, his actual mission involved documenting the consequences of these Russian attacks and relaying this information to Russian military intelligence.

"The intelligence collected by this agent was subsequently utilized by the occupiers to plan and execute new and more accurate attacks on Odesa," the SBU revealed.

Furthermore, the GRU agent attempted to identify the positions of HIMARS and air defense systems belonging to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) along the frontline in the region.

The SBU revealed the agent to be a 29-year-old resident of Odesa who had previously been a member of the local branch of the "Leninist Communist Youth Union." In May 2014, he played an active role in provocations during mass riots in the regional center.

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Berezhinskaya, a theatre director, had railed against Russia’s actions in Ukraine, saying Moscow’s soldiers were killing civilians and destroying cities in a naked land grab.

At the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, the individual subscribed to an enemy's Telegram channel that collected information about the deployment of Ukrainian troops for Russian intelligence purposes.

Subsequently, the administrator of this internet resource, currently understood to be operating undercover in a Central Asian country, contacted the person in question and facilitated direct contact with a representative of the GRU.

Based on the collected evidence, SBU investigators formally notified the Russian agent of their suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The suspect is currently in custody and could face life imprisonment.

The SBU had hitherto been conducting a large-scale special operation in the Mykolaiv region, neutralizing one of the most significant Russian intelligence networks since the start of the full-scale invasion.

When asked by Kyiv Post about the motivations of individuals who cooperate with Russian special services, the SBU emphasized that constructing a generalized "profile" of such spies is quite challenging.

Nevertheless, the agency's observations suggest that Russian special services primarily recruit two categories of individuals: those who support the idea of a "Russian peace" and work for financial gain or the promise of positions in occupation administrations, or citizens who can be coerced into collaboration through blackmail and threats.