The Counterintelligence Department of the Security Service of Ukraine has neutralised another russian spy network operating in the Donetsk region. As a result of the special operation, three FSB agents were exposed for collecting and passing the coordinates of Defence Forces positions in the Kramatorsk sector to the russian side.

The traitors operated independently of one another but were all controlled by a single handler from the military counterintelligence unit of russia’s federal security service – a militant fighting in a russian armed formation on the eastern front.

According to the investigation, the enemy network comprised a market trader working in Kramatorsk, her acquaintance, who had moved to russia and begun cooperating with the FSB, and a local labourer.

To recruit the market trader, the FSB enlisted the help of her acquaintance staying in the aggressor state. After the recruitment, the agent covertly collected intelligence from customers, including military personnel. She also ‘inquired’ about the locations of defensive structures and Ukrainian artillery firing positions.

The other member of the spy network was a labourer from the outskirts of the town. He came to russia’s attention after posting anti-Ukrainian comments on Odnoklassniki social network.

The investigation established that, acting on the FSB’s behalf, the suspect identified the locations of fortified areas and other sites where Defence Forces personnel were concentrated.

To maintain his cover, the asset left his home only for short periods and used his knowledge of the area to devise covert routes to conduct reconnaissance.

The SSU took timely measures to protect the positions of Ukrainian troops and detained both agents at their homes. During the searches, computer equipment and mobile phones containing evidence of their crimes were seized.

SSU investigators have notified the detainees of their status as suspects under Article 111.2 of the CCU – high treason, committed under martial law.

The suspects are in custody without bail and face life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The investigative measures concerning the third member of the spy network, hiding in russia, are ongoing. A notice of suspicion is currently being prepared against her as part of a special pre-trial investigation.

The operation was carried out by the SSU Office in Donetsk and Luhansk regions under the procedural supervision of the Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office.