Ukraine busts Russian spy in Dnipro military unit

Ukrainian counterintelligence and the General Staff of the Armed Forces have detained another Russian agent operating within the ranks of Ukraine’s military.

The suspect, a conscript from Dnipro, reportedly provided Russian forces with coordinates for missile and drone strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region.

According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the man was allegedly recruited by the FSB in autumn 2025 after posting pro-Kremlin comments on Telegram. Following his recruitment, he was mobilised into a rear-area military unit to carry out espionage from within.

Investigators claim the agent relayed the locations of temporary Ukrainian Armed Forces and National Guard positions, filmed military facilities, and recorded their geolocations. He then allegedly left his unit without authorisation to report its location to the FSB.

The SBU says it documented all of the agent’s activities and implemented measures to secure Ukrainian positions. The operation concluded with his arrest at a relative’s home, where he had been hiding. A smartphone containing evidence of his work for Russia was reportedly seized during a search.

The suspect has been charged under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (treason during martial law). He is currently in custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Since the beginning of 2024, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has dismantled 11 Russian agent networks, according to SBU head Vasyl Malyuk. In 2023, the agency exposed 47 networks and detained all identified traitors.

The SBU has adopted a proactive approach, focusing on dismantling entire espionage chains rather than targeting isolated individuals. 

This strategy has helped prevent Russian infiltration of critical infrastructure, including energy, transport, and defence sectors, and has stopped attempts to track international aid routes and locations of defence enterprises. 

By Aghakazim Guliyev