A former contract soldier of one of the military units was sentenced to 16 years in prison, who was an FSB agent. He spied on Ukrainian troops fighting near Bakhmut, Donetsk region. UNN reports this with reference to the SBU.
Details
SBU officers detained a Russian agent who spied for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donetsk region in March 2023. The man was a 29-year-old former contract soldier of one of Ukraine's military units who escaped from his place of service on the first day of the full-scale war and was hiding in the frontline area.
Later, he was contacted remotely by an FSB officer and offered cooperation in exchange for money. In order not to get caught performing enemy missions, the agent secretly involved his friend in collecting information about the temporary basing locations and routes of the Defense Forces.
Most of all, the enemy was interested in the approximate coordinates of the firing positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' cannon and rocket artillery, which kept the occupiers' assault groups attacking Bakhmut under fire control.
The agent also gathered information about the consequences of enemy shelling in the area.
The man used an anonymous chat in a popular messenger to communicate with the Russian secret service. In addition to text messages, he transmitted information in the form of voice messages.
Based on the SBU investigation, the court found the former contractor guilty under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- part 4 of Art. 408 (desertion committed under martial law);
- part 2 of Article 111 (high treason committed under martial law).
Taking into account his outstanding conviction for illegal possession of weapons, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison
The FSB officer who supervised the agent was also identified. Law enforcement officers are currently checking the intelligence activity of the Russian intelligence officer in various areas of his subversive activities against Ukraine.
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