A teacher from Kherson will spend the rest of her life behind bars for directing drones

A teacher from Kherson turned her own car into a tool for Russian military intelligence. The court found it proven that the information she gathered helped Russian invaders select targets for attacks on the frontline city. 

This was reported by the Communications Department of the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to law enforcement, the convicted woman worked as a teacher and was recruited by representatives of Russian military intelligence. She came to the attention of Russian special services due to her activity on pro-Russian Telegram channels, where she left comments in support of the Kremlin.

After being recruited, the woman began gathering information on the locations of Ukrainian military personnel in Kherson. To do this, she drove around the city, photographing the deployment sites of personnel and military equipment of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The agent transmitted the data she obtained via messaging apps to her handler—the commander of a unit of drone operators in the Russian 186th Separate Reconnaissance Battalion of the “Dnipro” group. The reports contained photographs of potential targets and their exact coordinates marked on digital maps.

The investigation established that the transmitted information was used by Russian military forces to carry out attacks on Kherson. In particular, the enemy used kamikaze drones and other weapons to shell the city.

During searches, law enforcement officers seized mobile phones and computer equipment containing evidence of collaboration with the occupiers. The collected materials became key evidence in the criminal proceedings.

The court found the woman guilty of treason committed under martial law. She was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Also in June, a soldier from Kherson was suspected of passing information to the FSB about Ukrainian fighters who were stationed in Odesa and Mykolaiv, among other locations. Additionally, he sent classified documents to Russian intelligence agencies.

Анна Бальчінос