The SSU has foiled a new attempt by the enemy to attack the locations of the Defence Forces in Odesa oblast. Mainly, the aggressor’s targets were staffs of the Armed Forces Command in the south.

To this end, the FSB engaged two of its agents, citizens of one of the South Caucasus states living in Odesa.

On the instructions of the russian service, these individuals reconnoitered the locations of Ukrainian troops to record their coordinates on Google maps.

After establishing the geolocations of the facilities, the agents collected information on personnel, military equipment, specifics of the sites, etc.

They hoped to identify command and control posts and combat units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to ‘report’ to the FSB.

To gather the intelligence, the perpetrators walked the streets of Odesa and covertly recorded potential ‘targets’.

They also used their connections among local population, hoping people would unwittingly provide some information on the Ukrainian military.

The two men also set up an NGO in the city, which operated under the guise of ‘providing assistance in legalizing foreign nationals in Ukraine’.

Actually, this ‘organization’ was trying to recruit foreigners into a network of informants working for russia.

In case of obtaining intelligence, the occupiers intended to carry out a series of targeted missile and drone strikes on the AFU military infrastructure and combat positions.

After completing the enemy assignment, the agents hoped to join the FSB.

However, the SSU prevented them from carrying out their criminal plans. The aggressor’s accomplices were identified at an early stage.

The SSU then documented their actions, tracked their routes and detained the suspects when they were conducting reconnaissance.

The SSU seized the suspects’ phone, which they used only to communicate with the russian service.

SSU investigators have notified both detainees of suspicion under Article 114-2.3 of the CCU (unauthorized dissemination of information on the location of the AFU, committed under martial law).

The suspects are in custody and face up to 12 years in prison.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Odesa Office under the procedural supervision of the regional Prosecutor’s Office.