Kyiv foils Russian spy mapping power plants for missile strikes PHOTO

Ukrainian authorities have arrested an agent of Russia’s General Staff Main Directorate (GU) in Kyiv Oblast who was preparing new missile strikes on the region’s thermal power plants, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

The 26-year-old resident of Fastiv Raion had been tasked by Russian operatives with secretly surveying a local power plant to assess its condition following previous attacks, Caliber.Az reports per SBU.

During the reconnaissance mission, he was to transmit real-time information and photographs of critical infrastructure.

The suspect was apprehended “red-handed” while conducting surveillance near a potential target. Officials seized his smartphone, which contained photos of the power plant and an encrypted chat with a Russian GU handler, using messages that disappeared after reading.

Investigators revealed that the detainee had previously served a sentence for the murder of a minor. He came to the attention of Russian intelligence via a Telegram channel advertising “easy earnings” and agreed, for the promise of quick profit, to guide strikes on Kyiv Oblast’s energy infrastructure.

Such attacks could have left significant parts of the region without electricity or heating.

The individual has been charged with treason under martial law. He remains in custody without the possibility of bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property if convicted.

By Aghakazim Guliyev