A market administration employee in Mykolaiv was detained for spying on behalf of Russia

In Mykolaiv, the SBU detained two agents of Russian intelligence services who, operating independently of one another, were gathering intelligence to prepare missile and drone attacks on the city. One of the detainees turned out to be an employee of the local market administration.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, both were recruited through Telegram channels, where they had previously posted anti-Ukrainian comments in support of Russia.

The woman worked for the so-called “Grup”—the Russian Federation’s military intelligence. As part of her assignment, she documented the locations of backup command posts and checkpoints of the Defense Forces.

<picture></picture>Photo: Security Service of Ukraine

To carry out her mission, the agent walked around the city and its outskirts, secretly photographing military facilities and marking their locations on maps.

She also carefully elicited the necessary information from acquaintances and market visitors during casual conversations on unrelated topics.

At the same time, the SBU’s counterintelligence unit detained a local handyman. Acting on orders from the FSB, he was coordinating attacks against the regional center’s logistics infrastructure.

The man also tracked the combat positions of Ukrainian air defense forces defending the airspace in southern Ukraine. To gather this data, he rode around the area on a bicycle and recorded the coordinates of potential targets on his smartphone.

SBU officers systematically documented the crimes of both suspects and detained them at their residences. At the same time, they took measures to secure Ukrainian facilities in the area under enemy reconnaissance.

During searches of the detainees’ homes, investigators seized computer equipment and cell phones containing evidence of collaboration with Russian intelligence agencies.

SBU investigators charged both suspects under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—treason committed under martial law.

The suspects face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Ірина Глухова