Case of Russian agent sent to court in Odesa

The Security Service of Ukraine has sent to court the case of a suspect in the Russian Federation, who was detained in August 2025 on suspicion of adjusting the shelling of Poltava and Odesa.

If found guilty, the man faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property, the SBU said.

According to counterintelligence and SBU investigators, the 35-year-old Poltava resident, who has a criminal record for drug trafficking and robbery, was responsible for directing the enemy attacks. He came to the attention of Russians when he was looking for easy money on Telegram channels.

As the investigation revealed, the suspect first went around the city to identify and record the locations of the Defense Forces on Google maps. Later, the agent was sent to Odesa, where he had to monitor the consequences of the recent shelling and report to his Russian supervisor. The recidivist used an anonymous chat in a messenger to communicate with the Russian special service, sending coordinates and photos of potential targets.

SBU officers detained the agent together with his partner, with whom he tried to burn a military SUV in the center of Poltava. For the agent and his accomplice, this was an intermediate task in the preparation of coordinates for a new series of Russian attacks.

According to the SBU, both are accused of high treason committed under martial law, complicity in obstructing the lawful activities of the Armed Forces and other military formations during a special period, complicity in intentional damage to another's property committed by arson by a group of persons. Both defendants are in custody. The agent's accomplice faces up to 10 years in prison.

Кирило Бойко