The State Bureau of Investigation detained a deserter for abandoning his post in the Kherson region

The State Bureau of Investigations (DBR) and the SBU’s military counterintelligence unit detained a deserter who, after fleeing his military unit, began working for Russia’s FSB. The man is suspected of passing on the exact coordinates of Ukrainian units in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions to the enemy.

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigations.

The servicemember was charged with deserting his military unit or place of duty without authorization under martial law and with treason. The most severe penalty under the charges he faces is life imprisonment.

The court ordered the suspect to be held in pretrial detention.

Case files indicate that the man was drafted into military service in late 2024. However, after several months of service and training, he fled his military unit and went into hiding in southern Ukraine.

Law enforcement officials note that the detainee was constantly in need of money, so he agreed to a proposal from a representative of the Russian FSB to earn money by passing on information about Ukrainian troops.

As indicated in the case file, acting on orders from his Russian handlers, the detainee gathered data on the movements and locations of Ukrainian units, as well as their weapons and military equipment, in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. He passed the information he obtained to the enemy, helping them pinpoint the exact positions of Ukrainian troops.

Law enforcement officials reported that after receiving this data, Russian troops launched strikes on the coordinates provided. As a result of the shelling, Ukrainian servicemen were wounded, and military equipment was damaged.

Investigators also reported that a year ago, the man decided to return to military service. According to law enforcement officials, he did so in order to gain access to more information about the Ukrainian military. It was at this stage that he was exposed and detained. 

Юлія Калабайда