Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Military Counterintelligence Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine, under the personal coordination of SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, neutralized a large-scale agent network of the Russian military intelligence (GRU), through which the enemy could have carried out missile strikes against Ukrainian Armed Forces air bases, the SBU press office reports.
As the investigation found, the defendants’ activities enabled the opponent to plan and carry out attacks on Ukrainian military airfields with F-16 fighters and Mirage 2000 aircraft.
According to the materials of the case, the group recruited by the enemy consisted of 14 people living in various regions of Ukraine.
“Countering Russian special services that seek to destabilize the situation in Ukraine from within is one of the SBU’s main priorities today. We are actively strengthening the counterintelligence regime because we understand that the enemy will continue trying to damage Ukraine’s defense potential and destabilize the Ukrainian rear without achieving success on the front. This operation is another example of our systematic work in this area. Anyone who agrees to work in the interests of the Russian Federation should understand: the SBU will certainly bring you to justice,” said the head of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad.
It has been established that initially the GRU recruited a Lviv resident who ran an aviation Telegram channel. He came to the attention of the Russians when he posted photos of Ukrainian military aircraft in pro-Kremlin chats.
To carry out the enemy task, the agent “in the dark” involved 13 of his followers, who have high-quality photographic equipment and live near the defense and air infrastructure.
They were supposed to photograph Ukrainian airfields, military aircraft, their crews and support staff, and also record time intervals of takeoffs and landings of aircraft, allegedly for the Telegram channel of the Lviv blogger.
For this the defendants used professional cameras, camouflaging themselves in abandoned buildings or in open areas near air bases.
The photos were stored in an online storage that the agent had previously gained access to. He then transmitted the photo material to his curator in Russia, a person who has already been identified by the Security Service.
The agent also “spilled” flight and landing schedules of combat helicopters to the Russians. He received such intelligence from a Ukrainian Air Force squadron commander who provided information on his own initiative.
During searches of the defendants’ residences, smartphones and digital photography equipment with evidence of working for the enemy, as well as photos of air objects of the Armed Forces, were found.
In addition, SBU officers blocked 4 channels and 10 thematic groups in Telegram where photos and other data about Ukrainian Air Force units were disseminated.
Currently, SBU investigators have informed the detained agent, his accomplice, and a service member of suspicion of committing crimes against the foundations of national security.
The investigation is ongoing to bring all those responsible to justice.
Comprehensive measures were carried out by SBU Military Counterintelligence in coordination with the Lviv regional prosecutor’s office.
The Security Service of Ukraine urges citizens to stay vigilant. If you are approached with dubious proposals, you see suspicious objects and persons, or you receive information about the activities of Russian security services, pages on the Internet and in social networks they use for recruitment, report it to the SBU:
Telegram bot “Spies of the FSB” – t.me/spaly_fsb_bot
Phone: 1516
Email: [email protected]
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "СБУ викрила агентурну мережу ГРУ РФ, до якої входило 14 осіб, що «полювали» за F-16 та Mirage 2000 (ВІДЕО)". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Rupor.
