Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have dismantled a Russian espionage and sabotage network that was reportedly gathering intelligence on Ukrainian armed forces and planning terrorist attacks within the country. The operation was confirmed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the country’s Prosecutor General, Ruslan Kravchenko.
The network comprised ten individuals who were tasked with collecting sensitive information about the locations, movements, armaments, and personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk districts of Donetsk Oblast, as well as in the Kharkiv region. This information was allegedly relayed to Russian handlers via messaging apps.
According to Kravchenko, the agents were instructed to identify a restaurant frequented by Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, with plans to carry out an attack there. They received explosive devices, reportedly dropped from a drone, at predetermined locations.
Furthermore, the network was involved in plotting targeted killings of public figures and military personnel across various regions of Ukraine. Among the potential targets were Serhiy Sternenko, an advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, and Ilya Bogdanov, a Russian citizen and fighter for Ukraine since 2014.
To facilitate these crimes, members of the network monitored the residences and movements of their intended victims. A court expert from Poltava, allegedly recruited by Russian operatives, compiled and transmitted the gathered intelligence to Russian security services.
During a special operation to apprehend the suspects, one armed member of the network was killed while resisting arrest. Investigators reported that he had undergone training in territories temporarily occupied by Russia and had been sent to Ukraine to manufacture and plant improvised explosive devices.
Authorities seized firearms, ammunition, components for explosive devices, communication equipment, and technology that provided evidence of collaboration with Russian intelligence agencies during searches of the suspects’ properties. One detainee admitted to previously detonating an explosive device in a parking lot, acting in the interests of the Russian military.
The suspects face charges including treason, collaboration with enemy forces, unauthorized dissemination of information about the Armed Forces of Ukraine, preparation for a terrorist act, and illegal possession of weapons, as outlined in various articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code.
The court has ordered that the suspects be held in custody without the possibility of bail.
The SBU noted that the operation’s success was significantly aided by intelligence penetration within enemy ranks and the active efforts of counterintelligence units in Poltava. Sources from the SBU have been relocated to secure areas.
Ukrainian authorities have disrupted a Russian spy network involved in gathering intelligence and planning terrorist attacks. The operation led to multiple arrests and highlighted ongoing security challenges in the region.