SBU detains Russian agent spying in Pokrovsk sector

This is according to the SBU press center, Ukrinform reports.

The SBU detained a Russian defense intelligence agent in Donetsk region who was spying on the Defense Forces of Ukraine in Pokrovsk sector of the front, where fierce fighting is ongoing.

The person concerned turned out to be an employee of a local mining enterprise, who was remotely recruited by the Russian intelligence service in July 2024.

Since that time, he has been scouting the geolocations of command posts and fortified areas of the Ukrainian troops involved in the defense of Pokrovsk.

Under the agent’s scrutiny were heavy artillery firing positions of the Ukrainian forces, which keep the assault groups of Russians under fire control.

He also tried to identify the deployment posts of the SBU units that conduct counter-subversive measures in the area and perform other special and combat tasks.

The agent behaved like an average resident of a front-line community commuting to work at the mine. But during his trips, he secretly recorded the location of Ukrainian troops and marked the corresponding coordinates on Google maps.

To communicate with the Russian intelligence service, the agent initially used an anonymous account in a popular messenger. Later, he switched to communicating with the Russian handler through banned Russian social networks.

The SBU counter-intelligence agents exposed the agent at the initial stage of his intelligence activity. This made it possible to document the crimes of the person concerned, to detain him and to prevent the transfer of actual information about the defense of Pokrovsk to the enemy.

During the search, a mobile phone and SIM cards were seized from the detainee, which he periodically changed in order to conspire to communicate with the Russians.

The SBU investigators notified him of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).

The perpetrator is in custody. He faces life imprisonment and confiscation of property.

The special operation was carried out by the SBU officers in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office.

As reported by Ukrinform earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a Russian intelligence agent in Kharkiv who was pointing enemy missiles at his brigade and was preparing to flee to Russia.