Ukraine’s SBU arrests man from Izium who allegedly aided Russia in planning another breakthrough attempt

The suspect tracked and relayed the geolocations of Ukrainian troops holding the line in a strategically important sector of the front. The SBU said Russian forces were primarily interested in the locations of backup command posts, fortified areas, fuel and ammunition depots, and Ukrainian artillery positions.

Using the coordinates provided by the informant, Russian troops planned to carry out massive strikes with combat drones and heavy guided aerial bombs.

Russian invaders also intended to use the information to select possible routes for ground assaults on Ukrainian defensive positions. To communicate with Russian intelligence operatives, the man used an anonymous chat channel in a messaging app, where he sent coordinates of potential targets and detailed descriptions of them, the SBU said.

Law enforcement officers uncovered his covert communication scheme with the occupiers, documented his activities and detained him. According to the investigation, the agent drew the attention of Russian intelligence after posting anti-Ukrainian comments on Telegram channels.

The SBU said the suspect walked around the city and surrounding areas to record the locations of Defense Forces units and compiled the collected data for the enemy. Officers seized his mobile phone, which contained evidence of collaboration with Russia.

The man has been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 114-2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (unauthorized dissemination of information on the locations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or other military formations during martial law). He remains in custody without bail and faces up to eight years in prison.