SBU detains FSB agent accused of guiding missile and drone strikes in Khmelnytskyi Oblast

The suspect is a 53-year-old local resident recruited by Russian special services.

Cyber specialists with the Security Service of Ukraine said the man created and administered a Telegram group disguised as a forum for discussing mobilization issues. In reality, the channel was used to collect information on locations where Ukrainian troops were concentrated, the agency said.

The SBU added that when relevant messages appeared, the agent contacted their authors directly to уточнювати the addresses of unit bases and routes used by Ukraine’s defense forces.

The SBU said the agent was particularly interested in data on the deployment and movement routes of mobile fire groups responsible for protecting the region’s airspace. Through the same Telegram community, he also tried to identify the locations of radar stations and surface-to-air missile systems operated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the SBU, the agent compiled the collected information into reports with photographs and coordinates of potential targets and passed them to a handler from Russia’s Federal Security Service. Russian planners intended to use the data to carry out new airstrikes on the region while bypassing Ukraine’s air defenses, law enforcement officials said.

SBU officers exposed the suspect in advance, documented his activities and detained him at his place of residence. During a search, authorities seized a smartphone that he used to administer the Telegram group and maintain contact with an FSB representative.

Based on the evidence gathered, the suspect was formally charged under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code — high treason committed under martial law.

A court ordered the man held in custody without the possibility of bail. He faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The investigation is continuing to identify all those involved, the SBU said.