Ukraine detains suspected agent linked to Dnipro attack PHOTO

Security Service of Ukraine said it had detained a suspected Russian agent accused of helping prepare a missile and drone attack on the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro overnight on June 2.

The agency said the suspect was a former serviceman from the Krynychanskyi district who holds a Russian passport.

According to the SBU, the man gathered intelligence on Ukrainian air operations, including tracking the timing and routes of fighter jets and attack helicopters deployed to defend the frontline region.

“As the investigation established, the suspect tracked the timing and directions of flights of fighter jets and strike helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which defend the skies of the frontline region. In this way, the Russian military sought to identify ‘weak points’ in the region’s air defence and hoped to determine the locations where Ukrainian aviation is based in order to carry out a combined strike there. To collect intelligence, the man went out into the field during air raid alerts to record the coordinates and time intervals of take-offs of aircraft and helicopters of the Defence Forces. According to case materials, Russian special services recruited the suspect through a Telegram channel. (...) During reconnaissance outings, the perpetrator drove around the area in his own car, constantly changing locations to gather intelligence information. SBU officers detained the agent at his place of residence. During a search, they found a Russian passport and a smartphone containing evidence of work for the enemy,” the SBU said.

Investigators have notified the suspect that he is under suspicion of “high treason committed under martial law,” the agency added.

The detention comes after Russian strikes on Dnipro earlier on June 2 killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded 37 others, according to the latest available data.

By Tamilla Hasanova