SBU detains 19-year-old FSB agent in Kharkiv after his mother’s terror plot failed

Investigators clarified that after his mother was arrested for allegedly attempting to blow up a Ukrainian Armed Forces veteran with an improvised explosive device, the young man left for Moscow to stay with relatives. There, he immediately drew the attention of Russian intelligence services.

SBU said Russian operatives recruited him by promising “evacuation” to Russia, an official award, and help getting into a Russian university. After that, they sent him back to Kharkiv to carry out intelligence tasks.

In Kharkiv, the agent allegedly monitored Ukrainian Armed Forces bases and logistics facilities, took photos, marked their coordinates on a map, and compiled reconnaissance data on his smartphone for further transfer to his FSB handler, SBU said.

Ukrainian counterintelligence officers uncovered the suspect, documented his activities, and detained him at his place of residence. During a search, they seized a phone containing geolocation data for Ukrainian sites and a chat history with his handler.

SBU investigators charged the young man under Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (high treason committed under martial law). He is being held in custody and faces a possible life sentence with confiscation of property.