Base on the evidence collected by the SSU, another FSB agent who operated in Donetsk region received a prison term. He was spying on Ukrainian troops near Bakhmut.

The SSU apprehended the enemy agent in March 2023.

He is a 29-year-old former contract soldier of one of Ukrainian military units who left his place of service on the first day of the full-scale war and was hiding in the frontline territory of Donetsk oblast.

Later, the FSB contacted him remotely and offered cooperation in exchange for money.

In order not to get caught performing enemy tasks, the agent involved his friend in collecting information on the temporary bases and routes of the Defense Forces. The latter unwittingly helped the traitor.

The russian intelligence was interested in coordinates of firing positions of the AFU cannon and rocket artillery, which fired at the russian assault groups attacking Bakhmut.

The deserter also gathered information on the consequences of enemy strikes.

To communicate with the FSB, he used an anonymous chat in a popular messenger app. The data were transmitted in text and voice messages.

During the detention, the investigators seized 5 mobile phones and a laptop with evidence of his reconnaissance and sabotage activities against Ukraine.

The court found the accused guilty under two Articles of the CCU:

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

Given his unspent conviction for illegal possession of weapons, the perpetrator was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The FSB serviceman who handled the agent was also identified.

The investigation was carried out by the SSU Office in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Defense Prosecutor’s Office in the Eastern Region.