Russian Informant Detained in Mykolaiv for Spying on Ukrainian Forces

Another Russian informant was detained in Mykolaiv, who collected data on the locations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and military equipment and passed it to his "curator" via Telegram.

According to the SBU, he was a member of an agent group that was exposed back in March, when four people were detained for passing coordinates to the occupiers for strikes on the city.

This time, the fifth member of this group was detained. After previous arrests, he was hiding to avoid detention. The man is a 50-year-old resident of Mykolaiv who was unemployed but actively supported Kremlin narratives in Telegram chats. This is how he attracted the attention of Russian curators.

According to the SBU, he walked around the city on his own, looking for the positions of the Ukrainian military, and also found out information from his friends during ordinary conversations. He passed everything he learned via messenger to his "curator" - collaborator Serhiy Lebedev, who works for the FSB and Russian military intelligence from occupied Donetsk.

During the search, the SBU found cell phones with evidence of his cooperation with the enemy, as well as live ammunition, the origin of which is currently being investigated.

He was served a notice of suspicion under two articles:

• ч. 3 of Art. 114-2 (unauthorized dissemination of information on the movement, relocation or deployment of the Armed Forces);
• Part 1 of Art. 263 (illegal handling of ammunition).

The detainee is currently in custody and faces up to 12 years in prison.

Earlier, the SBU neutralized one of the largest Russian intelligence networks during the war: 13 occupiers' informers were detained in Mykolaiv region.

In addition, SBU and police officers detained agents of Russian special services who were planning a terrorist attack in Mykolaiv on February 14 this year at the request of the Kremlin. For this purpose, the aggressors used a woman from Poltava region who was to be blown up with explosives near a cafe in the city center.

Recently, the SBU identified three people in Mykolaiv region who were using Viber and Telegram channels to carry out information and subversive activities aimed at disrupting mobilization and harming the Armed Forces.

Ірина Глухова