SSU: group of Russian GRU preparing to seize power in Odesa neutralized
Kyiv • UNN
The SSU detained the head and a member of a Russian group's operational and combat group. According to the SBU, the group was planning a violent seizure of power in Odesa.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has reported the neutralization of an operative group of Russian GRU that was preparing a violent takeover of power in Odesa. During the searches, the suspects were found to have weapons, including cold steel, including those with the logo of the Russian special services, tactical equipment, and instructions, the SBU said on Monday, UNN reported.
SBU Military Counterintelligence and the State Bureau of Investigations neutralized a Russian military intelligence task force in Odesa. As a result of a special operation in the regional center, the head of the enemy cell and his "right hand" were detained
According to the SBU, "more than 70 firearms with optical sights and ammunition, as well as body armor, helmets, ballistic goggles and other tactical equipment were seized from them.
"According to the instructions of the Russian secret service, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the attackers were preparing for the seizure of government agencies in Odesa region. In addition to storming administrative buildings, the perpetrators were supposed to attack the Defense Forces from the rear if the occupiers approached the port city. However, after the failures of the racists at the front, this task force was put on standby and activated only in the summer of 2024, when it received secret tasks," the SBU said.
The Security Service of Ukraine, as noted, thwarted the enemy's intentions: it documented subversive activities and neutralized the group immediately after it was "activated" by the enemy.
According to the case file, the resident (senior) of the Russian GRU group was a 49-year-old resident of the temporarily occupied Crimea.
"After the seizure of the peninsula, he moved to Odesa, where, at the beginning of the full-scale war, he began to form operational and combat units under the guise of several public organizations. For the general public, the NGOs dealt with issues of military history, ecology and law, but in reality they created underground groups: snipers, intelligence, communications, operational support and one of the main ones - an assault group," the SBU said.
In the selection of potential candidates, the perpetrators reportedly gave preference to citizens with special skills, combat experience, or narrowly specialized specialists.
"In the event of the capture of Odesa, the group members were promised 'positions' in the local occupation administration of the Russian Federation," the SBU said.
"In total, the defendants recruited more than two dozen people to the enemy cell, who were subordinate to their leader according to the principles of military hierarchy. Currently, all of them are under investigation, and comprehensive measures are being taken to bring them to justice for crimes against Ukraine," the statement said.
During the searches, in addition to weapons and tactical equipment, the SBU noted that instructions on subversion, cold steel weapons, including those with the logo of the Russian special services, and computer equipment with evidence of crimes were seized from the defendants.
The detainees were reportedly notified of suspicion under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- ч. 2, Art. 28, Part 1, Art. 109 (actions aimed at violent change or overthrow of the constitutional order or seizure of state power committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons);
- Art. 1, 3 of Art. 260 (creation of paramilitary or armed groups not provided for by law).
The detainees are in custody. They face up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.
