A soldier was detained in the Kherson region on suspicion of coordinating Russian strikes against the Ukrainian Armed Forces

SBI officers detained a servicemember who, after deserting his unit, began collaborating with Russia’s FSB. He passed information to the enemy about the locations of Ukrainian troops in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. According to the investigation, Russian troops carried out strikes based on the coordinates provided, resulting in injuries to Ukrainian defenders.

According to the State Bureau of Investigations, the man was drafted into military service in late 2024. After several months of service and training, he deserted his unit and went into hiding in southern Ukraine.

Later, in need of money, the soldier agreed to an offer from an FSB representative to earn money by passing on intelligence.

On the orders of his Russian handlers, he gathered information about the movements and locations of Ukrainian units, as well as their weapons and military equipment, in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. He passed the information he obtained to the Russian side to pinpoint the exact positions of Ukrainian troops.

According to the investigation, after receiving this data, Russian troops shelled the specified coordinates. As a result of the attacks, Ukrainian servicemen were wounded, and military equipment was damaged.

Subsequently, the suspect decided to return to military service in order to gain access to more information and continue collaborating with the enemy. However, officers from the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR), in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) military counterintelligence unit, exposed and detained him.

The servicemember was notified that he is suspected of deserting his military unit without authorization under martial law (Part 5 of Article 407 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and of high treason under martial law (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The court ordered him to be held in pretrial detention. The most severe punishment under the charges he faces is life imprisonment.

Андрій Колісніченко