With the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the SSU Counterintelligence has thwarted attempts by russia’s federal security service to infiltrate its agent into the Defence Forces.

Following a special operation in the Kharkiv region, a former lawyer who had enlisted in one of the elite brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Airborne Assault Troops to spy from within the combat unit has been detained. Acting on the enemy’s orders, he had enlisted in order to gather information for the russians.

The investigation revealed that the perpetrator had been collecting intelligence on his unit’s deployment and movements and passing it on to the FSB.

The SSU exposed the agent at an early stage. Thanks to the swift response, the positions of Ukrainian units were protected and russian combat operations on the eastern front were thwarted.

At the start of the war, the former lawyer was sentenced to a prison term for unauthorised dissemination of information on the Defence Forces’ combat operations.

After his release, an FSB operative contacted him via a messaging app and offered him to cooperate in exchange for extraction to russia.

The handler instructed the asset to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to direct enemy fire at Ukrainian troops.

During the searches, a smartphone containing evidence of the mole’s work for the enemy intelligence services was seized.

The SSU has notified the detainee of suspicion under Article 111.2 of the CCU (high treason, committed under martial law).

The suspect is in custody without bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

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