The SSU has apprehended an agent of russian military intelligence who adjusted enemy air strikes on Vinnytsia and Sumy oblasts.

According to the SSU Military Counterintelligence, the perpetrator is a 23-year-old contract serviceman of one of Ukrainian military units, who in May left his place of service without permission.

As he was looking for quick money in Telegram channels, he came to the attention of a serviceman of the GRU (the main directorate of the general staff of the russian armed forces).

The latter offered the deserter money in exchange for his cooperation.

On the GRU instructions, the traitor tracked firing positions of the AFU air defence units in Vinnytsia region.

Later, he was sent to Sumy region and was tasked with spying on the Defence Forces there.

To do that, the agent came to a town near the border with russia and rented an apartment for two weeks.

There, he posed as a military serviceman on duty and tried to gain the trust of residents. He was going to gather information on Ukrainian defenders, eliciting it from his new acquaintances.

The spy also took pictures of military facilities and marked their coordinates on electronic maps for a report to his russian handler.

The aggressor hoped to use the intelligence to prepare attacks on the positions of the Defence Forces using glide bombs, drones and missiles.

The SSU Military Counterintelligence uncovered the enemy agent at an early stage and took action to protect the positions of Ukrainian troops. His actions were documented, and he was detained.

SSU investigators served him a notice of suspicion under two Articles of the CCU:

• 111.2 (high treason, committed under martial law);
• 408.4 (desertion, committed under martial law).

The suspect is in custody and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The operation was carried out by the SSU under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Defence Prosecutor’s Office of the Southern Region.