Intelligence, NATO exercises, checkpoints: how a former special forces officer spied in Odesa for the FSB

A former special forces intelligence officer who spied for Russia, photographed checkpoints and transmitted data on military exercises was exposed in Odesa. The court found him guilty of high treason.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

According to the investigation, in 2017, near the Kherson-Melitopol highway, the suspect illegally purchased a Kalashnikov AK-74 rifle, a 9 mm Makarov pistol, 57 rounds of ammunition for the pistol, 1108 intermediate rounds of ammunition for the pistol, a body of a RG-42 hand fragmentation grenade, two bodies of F-1 fragmentation grenades, and three UZRGM fuses, paying $1,000 for everything. In 2022, he also purchased an IZH-56-3 hunting rifle and 50 rounds of ring-ignition ammunition, which he kept at his home. On March 10, 2022, law enforcement officers found these weapons during a search of his home.

Espionage activities and NATO exercises

During the investigation, it was established that in July 2018, the man was in Sevastopol, where he met with an FSB officer near the monument to an unknown soldier and sailor. During the meeting, he was offered to cooperate with the Russian special service - to fulfill their tasks and pass on intelligence information, to which he agreed.

On the same day, the suspect received his first task: to collect and pass on information about Russian citizens who were in Ukraine and served in volunteer units of the Armed Forces and the National Police, for further persecution of them and their relatives. He was told that all subsequent tasks and reports would be transmitted through two Russian citizens.

About a month later, while in Odesa, during a telephone conversation, the man said that he was unable to fulfill the assignment due to lack of opportunities. In 2021, he received a new assignment to collect and transmit information about the joint military exercises of Ukraine and NATO called Sea Breeze, which he fulfilled.

That year, theSea Breeze series of exercises was a record-breaking exercise: they took place from June 28 to July 10 in Odesa, Ochakiv, the Dniester Estuary, the Kinburn Spit, Zmiinyi and Pervomaiskyi Islands, and other parts of Ukraine. About 30 ships, boats, and vessels, more than 30 airplanes and helicopters, up to 5,000 personnel, and 50 pieces of weapons and military equipment took part in the exercises.

Checkpoints and weapons depots

Despite the full-scale invasion of Russia, the suspect did not stop his criminal activities, but rather intensified them. In 2022, he received a task from an FSB officer to collect information about the location of checkpoints set up to protect and defend Odesa region from the units of the aggressor country, as well as the number and weapons of military, territorial defense and law enforcement officers on duty. He moved around the city and settlements of the region, collecting the necessary information and transmitting messages, photos and coordinates of Ukrainian checkpoints to his contacts.

In court, the man stated that he partially pleaded guilty - only to illegal handling of weapons. He explained that in early 2017, an unknown person tried to break into his yard. After that, he tried to officially obtain a gun permit, but was denied. Later, when he was doing volunteer work, he met people who offered to buy him a weapon. For $1,000, they promised to deliver everything he needed. After that, he took the weapons home.

Later, he took the weapons to a house in the village of Burlacha Balka, where he put them in order. The man claimed that he did not ask for grenades and so many rounds of ammunition, and during the transfer, he was only slightly opened the case and shown a part of the assault rifle without checking the contents. He noted that he kept the weapon solely for self-defense.

Partial admission of the crime

The suspect did not plead guilty to treason. He said that after the start of the full-scale aggression, he and his daughter moved to his civilian wife's house in the village of Burlacha Balka. Around March 1-3, 2022, they began to create a "public squad" there, and he became one of its organizers. When he received a call from his aunt complaining about problems with the phone, he went there.

Masked men appeared there, detained him, handcuffed him, and began interrogating him about criminal offenses. He said that he had weapons at home and went home with them, where he showed them to them. Investigators conducted a search with the participation of two witnesses. Later, according to the man, the weapons were found in other places, but he did not attach any importance to this, considering it part of the procedural procedure. According to the suspect, he was taken to the SBU Main Directorate, a bag was put over his head, he was threatened and extorted money, but the check showed that he had not been injured.

Testimony and court verdict

Witnesses were interrogated in court. One of them said that he had once studied with the suspect, and later met him several times by chance. The witness worked at the Odesa airport, and the suspect, according to him, was an entrepreneur and dealt with air conditioners. He was also fond of diving and traveled to Crimea to practice this sport.

Even before the war, during military exercises, helicopters flew over the airport, and the suspect told the witness that he had seen an "interesting aircraft" over his house, to which the witness sent a video of the aircraft.

The witness also handed the suspect documents, including general declarations for customs and border control with information about the airport, the arrival of the aircraft, their tail numbers, and crew details. He does not remember why he sent these documents and did not pass them on to anyone else, not realizing that they could end up in the hands of the intelligence services of another state. The witness also did not understand why the suspect replied to him with "emoticons" depicting the president of the Russian Federation.

The man was found guilty and sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Also in January, the Primorskyi Court of Odesa found retired Rear Admiral Dmytro Shakur guilty of high treason and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

Анна Бальчінос