The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Police have detained a further four pro-kremlin online agitators in several regions of Ukraine. The perpetrators justified russia’s armed aggression and incited inter-ethnic hostility.

In Kyiv, a church attendant at one of the churches of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under moscow patriarchate) was exposed for calling for the capture of Ukraine’s capital.

The investigation identified that the church attendant had been spreading the enemy’s propaganda on his own Telegram channel.

The suspect actively posted comments in chats on popular social media platforms in support of russian armed groupings and the kremlin regime.

Apart from him, a blogger was detained in the city who had called on Facebook for the physical elimination of members of one of the national minorities and the arson of their places of worship.

On this same social media platform, he also threatened members of the Defence Forces and their families.

In Zaporizhzhia, the SSU Counterintelligence exposed an employee of a local defence factory who, via Telegram channels, had been inciting ruscists to carry out a ‘demonstrative’ missile strike on Kyiv and Lviv.

Another suspect is a laboratory assistant at a local private clinic. She denied that Zaporizhzhia was under russian shelling and spread disinformation about the Defence Forces’ combat operations.

The agitator used several fake accounts on Telegram, as well as on the banned social media platforms Odnoklassniki and VKontakte.

Linguistic analyses initiated by the Security Service confirmed the suspects’ involvement in subversive information activities in the interests of russia.

During the searches of their premises, mobile phones and computer equipment containing evidence of their illegal activities were seized.

SSU investigators notified the perpetrators of suspicion under several Articles of the CCU:

• 436-2.1, 436-2.3 (justifying, legitimising or denying russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, and glorifying its participants);
• 129.2 (threats to kill, committed on grounds of racial, national or religious intolerance);
• 161.1 (deliberate actions aimed at inciting national enmity and hatred and humiliating national honour and dignity).

The perpetrators face up to 8 years’ imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The operational and investigative activities were carried out by the SSU Offices in Kyiv and the Kyiv Region, the Zaporizhzhia Region, in conjunction with the National Police, under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor’s Offices.