According to the press service of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), counter-intelligence officials detained a suspected informant working for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Zaporizhzhia. The individual had recently joined the cyber security department of the regional military administration (OVA) in October.
The FSB agent, had assumed the role of the chief specialist, sought to surreptitiously access confidential data relating to the locations of units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) and defense acquisitions within the region.
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“In order to obtain secret information, the Russian ‘mole’ tried to use his access to the servers of the state institution,” the report says.
Despite his efforts, the SBU says it thwarted the espionage attempt, detained the agent and prevented the transfer of sensitive intelligence to Russian authorities.
Footage released by the SBU shows them apprehending the suspect - law enforcement officers halt his vehicle, extract him, and place him under arrest.
The resident of Zaporizhzhia, a trained radio engineer, previously held a position at a local enterprise responsible for maintaining military equipment for the Defense Forces.
In September, he volunteered his services to the Russians, reaching out through a Russian chatbot designed to gather information on the movements of AFU units in the frontline regions.
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Following this interaction, an FSB operative remotely contacted and recruited him, instructing the agent to clandestinely record production facilities and military equipment within the area, in line with the directives of the Russian special service.
Furthermore, the suspect attempted to identify repair bases and other logistics centers associated with UAF facilities in the regional hub.
He communicated with his Russian handlers through anonymous messenger apps.
Presently in custody, the agent has been informed of the charges by the SBU investigators and faces a potential prison term of up to 12 years.
In an earlier incident, the SBU reported the arrest of another alleged Russian agent who had been installing covert webcams along roads in Zaporizhzhia, not far from the front lines, to monitor Ukrainian army movement.
Once installed, the webcams were intended to continuously broadcast the road traffic online, allowing remote access by FSB personnel. The SBU detected and deactivated the hidden video devices.
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