The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has announced the apprehension of another individual suspected of aiding Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Investigators believe the suspect, a construction worker with a prior criminal record for drug offenses, was recruited by the FSB.
The SBU reported this on their website on August 5th.
According to the Security Service, the detained individual was tasked by Russian intelligence services with guiding ballistic missiles and strike drones towards logistical hubs and storage facilities in the Kyiv region.
Furthermore, he was involved in tracking the locations of Ukrainian defense forces, including checkpoints and bases for Ukrainian unmanned systems.
“To identify potential ‘targets,’ he traversed the area with GPS navigation enabled on his smartphone, which the enemy forces used to monitor all routes of the suspect’s reconnaissance missions,” the statement reads.
Investigators posit that upon discovering sites he believed belonged to logistical or defense infrastructure, he photographed and videoed them, also marking their coordinates on Google Maps. He also documented the aftermath of previous strikes on Kyiv.
“The collected information was compiled by the operative into an agent ‘report’ for subsequent submission to his FSB handler,” the SBU stated.
The agency indicated that the suspect, accused of coordinating Russian shelling, was apprehended “red-handed” in the apartment of acquaintances upon his return from another reconnaissance mission.
According to case materials, the “repeat offender was recruited by the FSB after coming to the attention of Russian intelligence operatives through Telegram channels advertising ‘easy’ money.”
During a search of the detainee’s premises, a smartphone containing evidence of his collaboration with the Russian FSB was confiscated.
The man has been charged under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – treason committed under martial law. He faces a potential life sentence with property confiscation.