(Kharkiv) – A Russian spy has been uncovered and detained by Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) while serving in an assault brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in Kharkiv. The man, a 42 year old local who had been mobilised into the military, was secretly working for the Russian dictatorship’s intelligence services and passing on sensitive military information about his own unit.
The SSU revealed that the spy had been leaking the exact locations of Ukrainian military headquarters, training centres and fallback positions to Russia. As a platoon commander, he also had access to personnel records and was preparing to hand over detailed lists of the brigade’s officers and soldier numbers at all levels.
The Russian agent had reportedly contacted the intelligence service of the Russian dictatorship through his own relatives, who include former Russian military officers now living in Russia. In return for his treachery, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia promised to extract him across the front line into Russian territory in the Kharkiv region after his mission was complete.
Thanks to fast action by Ukrainian counterintelligence, he was identified before any escape could be made. His mobile phone, containing evidence of his communication with the FSB, was seized during the arrest. Correspondence allegedly shows clear links to Russian handlers.
The arrest was supported by the Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs and the National Guard command. Ukrainian authorities confirmed that thorough steps were taken to safeguard military sites that had been exposed to the spy’s sabotage.
The man is now charged with high treason under martial law – a crime under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment and the confiscation of all personal property.
This incident follows the recent exposure of a separate spy network linked to Hungarian military intelligence operating in the Transcarpathian region in May.
