A network of Russian GRU agents hunting for F-16s and Mirage 2000s was uncovered in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The SBU neutralized a Russian intelligence agent network consisting of 14 people who collected data on Ukrainian air bases. The enemy planned to use this information for missile strikes against F-16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft.
An intelligence network of the Russian military intelligence agency was exposed in Ukraine. It included 14 people who were "hunting" for F-16s and Mirage 2000s, the SBU reported on Thursday, UNN writes.
Details
"The military counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine, under the personal coordination of SBU Chief Oleksandr Poklad, neutralized a large-scale agent network of Russian military intelligence (better known as the GRU), through which the enemy could launch missile strikes on the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ air bases. The investigation established that the suspects’ activities enabled the enemy to plan and carry out attacks on the airfields of Ukrainian forces equipped with F-16 and Mirage 2000 combat aircraft," the SBU reported.
According to the case materials, "the group recruited by the enemy consisted of 14 people who lived in various regions of Ukraine."
"Countering Russian special services seeking to destabilize the situation in Ukraine from within is one of the SBU’s top priorities today. We are actively strengthening the counterintelligence regime because we understand that the enemy continues to seek to damage our country’s defense potential and destabilize the Ukrainian rear, having no notable successes on the front. This operation is another example of our systematic work in this area. Everyone who agrees to work in the interests of Russia should realize: the SBU will definitely bring you to justice," said Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad.
It was established that "the Russian GRU initially recruited a Lviv resident who administered a Telegram channel about aviation." He came to the attention of the Rashists when he published photographs of Ukrainian Armed Forces combat aircraft in pro-Kremlin chats.
"To carry out the enemy’s assignment, the agent, without revealing the true purpose, involved 13 of his subscribers who had high-quality photographic equipment and lived near the Defense Forces’ aviation infrastructure. They were to photograph Ukrainian airfields, military aircraft, their crews and technical personnel, as well as record the time intervals between aircraft takeoffs and landings, allegedly for the Lviv blogger’s Telegram channel," the SBU stated.
According to the SBU, the suspects used professional cameras for this purpose, concealing themselves in abandoned buildings or in open areas near air bases. "They stored the photographs taken in an online storage facility, access to which they had previously received from the agent. He then passed the photographic materials to his handler from Russia, whose identity has already been established by the Security Service," the statement said.
"The agent also ‘leaked’ the schedules for the departures and landings of combat helicopters to the Rashists. He received such intelligence from a commander of a Ukrainian Armed Forces aviation squadron, who provided the information on his own initiative," the statement said.
During searches of the suspects’ residences, the SBU reported, officers found smartphones and digital photographic equipment containing evidence of work for the enemy, as well as photographs of Defense Forces aviation facilities.
In addition, SBU officers blocked four Telegram channels and 10 thematic groups where photographs and other data about Ukrainian Armed Forces aviation units were distributed.
"Investigators of the Security Service have now notified the detained agent, his accomplice and the serviceman of suspicion of committing crimes against the foundations of national security," the statement said.
The investigation is ongoing to bring all those responsible to justice.