The SSU has gathered irrefutable evidence proving the guilt of another agent of the main directorate of the general staff of the russian armed forces (aka ‘the GRU’). The russian spy was preparing a series of sabotage acts on railway in southern Ukraine.

The SSU Counterintelligence detained him in October 2022 as a result of a multi-stage special operation in Odesa oblast.

Among items seized from the saboteur were over 3 kg of TNT, an anti-tank mine and fuses.

Based on the SSU’s investigation, the court sentenced him to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

According to the investigation, the enemy accomplice is a former official of the criminal investigation section of the disbanded Odesa railway police unit.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, he was recruited by a GRU officer for conducting reconnaissance and sabotage in the area.

On the aggressor’s instructions, the agent collected intelligence on transportation of military equipment, weapons, ammunition, fuel and lubricants on sections of Odesa railway.

He planned to pass the information to the russian military intelligence for preparation of explosions on key logistics routes of the Defence Forces in the south.

To execute the enemy’s assignment, the spy installed two remote photo traps near the railway track in Odesa suburbs. These devices allowed him to track the movement of rolling stock in real time and get the photos via a mobile application.

For secrecy, the russian agent constantly changed the way he looked and channels of communication with his ‘handler’. He also used fictitious IDs, including a Ukrainian passport.

However, all this did not help him. The SSU identified the spy, documented the crime and detained him when he was setting up a device for remote monitoring of a railway route.

Based on evidence collected by the SSU, the court found the accused guilty under two Articles of the CCU:

• 111.2 (high treason committed under martial law);
• 263.1 (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives).

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