The SSU Military Counterintelligence has thwarted attempts by russia’s military intelligence to infiltrate its agent into the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces Command.

As a result of a special operation in Kyiv, the SSU detained an accomplice of the russian intelligence who tried to join Ukrainian paratroopers under the guise of a chaplain.

The agent wanted to ‘enroll’ to one of the Air Assault Forces brigades to spy on its locations and movements towards the front line.

The enemy asset was instructed to establish trusting relations with the command of the Air Assault Forces.

In this way, he planned to collect data on weapons, plans and combat operations of Ukrainian defenders.

However, the SSU uncovered the mole, identified his russian handlers and documented the crime.

The SSU detained the agent when he was undergoing interviews at the headquarters of the Ukrainian Paratrooper Command to be enlisted in the AFU.

According to the investigation, the perpetrator is a chief specialist of a department in Kyiv Region Military Administration.

The official was recruited remotely by an officer of the 317^th intelligence center of the main directorate of the general staff of the russian armed forces (‘the GRU’).

To pose as a chaplain, he had a false certificate of membership in one of the parishes made for himself.

Before that, the russian service gave him test assignments while he was working in the military administration.

Communication with the aggressor was carried out through an anonymous chat in a messenger.

During the search, the SSU seized a mobile phone with evidence of communication with the GRU.

The detainee has been served a notice of suspicion under Article 111.2 of the CCU (high treason, committed under martial law).

The suspect is in custody and faces life imprisonment. The investigation is ongoing.

The operation was carried out with the assistance of Kyiv Region Military Administration and under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.