FSB arrests man in Crimea accused of passing military data to Ukraine

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 63-year-old resident of Sevastopol in Crimea on suspicion of high treason, accusing him of passing sensitive information about Russian servicemen to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Russian authorities said.

The arrest was announced by the FSB’s Public Relations Centre and reported by TASS.

“The Federal Security Service, on the territory of the Republic of Crimea, has suppressed the unlawful activities of a resident of Sevastopol, born in 1963, suspected of high treason in the form of espionage,” the agency said in a statement. “As a result of оперативно-разыскных мероприятий, the individual was detained by officers of the FSB of Russia.”

According to the FSB, the man had been recruited by an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine for confidential cooperation. Acting on instructions, he “transmitted to Ukrainian special services information about servicemen of the Russian Ministry of Defence, and also planned to carry out visual surveillance of vehicles belonging to members of their families.”

Authorities said the suspect admitted that he had been recruited through the WhatsApp messaging platform and had continued to cooperate with the Ukrainian intelligence service. He also disclosed the communication channels used and confirmed that he had carried out assignments to collect and pass on personal data relating to Russian military personnel.

The FSB did not provide further details about the scope of the alleged information transfer or the timeframe of the activities.

Under Russian law, a conviction for high treason can carry a sentence of life imprisonment. The suspect faces a possible life term if found guilty.

By Tamilla Hasanova