Ukraine thwarts Russian spy attempt targeting elite forces PHOTO

Ukrainian military counterintelligence, in coordination with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has thwarted an attempted infiltration of Ukraine’s armed forces by Russia’s FSB. A 28-year-old Russian national was apprehended in the city of Rivne while allegedly conducting surveillance on personnel of the Special Operations Forces (SOF).

Investigators report that the suspect previously served in Russian military intelligence between 2018 and 2019. In 2021, he entered Rivne under the guise of an ordinary resident of Krasnoyarsk Krai with Ukrainian relatives and began systematically collecting contacts of SOF servicemen to facilitate espionage within the unit.

Authorities say the individual sought to acquire personal information on servicemen and details regarding undercover operatives, intending to transmit the data to Russian intelligence through encrypted communication channels. The SBU’s military counterintelligence documented the activities and arrested him at the concluding stage of the operation.

During a subsequent search, officers discovered Russian military uniforms and official documents in the suspect’s possession. He has been formally charged under Ukraine’s espionage laws and is being held in custody without the possibility of bail. If convicted, the individual faces up to 15 years imprisonment along with confiscation of property.

By Vafa Guliyeva