SBU detains spy in Odesa gathering intel on Ukrainian Armed Forces in Black Sea

The Security Service of Ukraine's military counterintelligence detained a man suspected of spying on ships in the Black Sea in Odesa.

According to the SBU press service, the detainee was reconnoitering the basing points and routes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ships near the Odesa seaport.

According to the available data, the occupiers planned to use this information to prepare combat operations in the maritime zone using cruise missiles and kamikaze drones. In order to direct enemy weapons to bypass Ukrainian air defense, the agent received an additional task: to identify the firing positions of anti-aircraft missile systems and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces.

The investigation revealed that to collect intelligence, the traitor drove around the coast of the regional center in his own car and secretly took photos and recorded the geolocation of military facilities on his phone.

The agent sent the collected information via messenger to his Russian supervisor. His identity and other personal data have already been established by the SBU. The SBU officers documented the agent's crimes step by step and detained him at his place of residence in Odesa.

The Security Service also took comprehensive measures to protect the positions of the Defense Forces in the southern region. During the searches in the detainee's apartment, the SBU found a mobile phone and a computer used by the offender to communicate with the FSB. According to the investigation, the traitor was a 37-year-old unemployed Odesa resident who came to the attention of the occupiers when he was looking for quick money on Telegram channels.

SBU investigators have now served him a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law). The detainee is being held without bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Кирило Бойко