Spying on Ukrainian Armed Forces in southern Ukraine: Security Service exposes Russian agents

VALENTYNA ROMANENKOMONDAY, 4 JULY 2022, 11:54

The Security Service of Ukraine has announced that it has neutralised a group of Russian agents who had been gathering intelligence on the defence of the Black Sea regions.

Source: Artem Dekhtiarenko, spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine and Ukrainska Pravda’s contact in law enforcement agencies

Quote from Dekhtiarenko: "During a special operation in Mykolaiv Oblast, 3 deeply covert enemy agents were detained.

They were reconnoitring combat positions and movements of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the geolocation of strategic critical infrastructure facilities in the region. To disguise their criminal activities, the perpetrators involved their close relatives and other local residents as informants.

The group members transmitted the information received to their Russian handler in the form of text messages and photos with coordinates. They used pre-established anonymous Telegram channels for this purpose."

Details: According to the Ukrainian Security Service, in addition to collecting intelligence, the perpetrators agitated people to support the Russian forces and justified their crimes.

In this way, they tried to undermine the situation in the region and expand the circle of their accomplices, the Security Service spokesman stressed.

It was reported that law enforcement officers found computer equipment and means of communication with evidence of illegal actions during searches of the locations where the Russian agents were staying.

Now the detainees have been notified that they are charged under:

  • Section 3 of Article 114-2 (dissemination of information about the movement, movement or location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine),

  • Section 2 of Article 111 (high treason),

  • Section 3 of Article 436-2 (justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

According to Ukrainska Pravda’s source, the court ordered the suspects to be held in custody and under round-the-clock house arrest.