Ukraine's SBU says it detained a Russian FSB agent inside its Armed Forces who targeted his own drone unit
Ukraine's Security Service said on 22 October that its military counterintelligence, with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, exposed a Russian agent in the ranks of the military. The suspect, a mobilized resident of Zhytomyr Oblast, was reportedly recruited by the FSB before his call-up and is accused of directing a Russian air strike at his own UAV unit. The SBU says it evacuated more than 100 drone operators from the potential strike zone; the suspect faces life imprisonment.
Key points
- The SBU announced the case on 22 October, saying its military counterintelligence exposed a Russian agent inside the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- The suspect is a mobilized resident of Zhytomyr Oblast recruited by the FSB before being called up.
- He is accused of transmitting coordinates and directing a Russian air strike at his own UAV unit.
- The SBU says it preemptively evacuated more than 100 Ukrainian drone operators from the potential strike zone.
- The suspect was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 (state treason under martial law) and Part 2 of Article 259 (knowingly false reporting of an explosion threat at a critical infrastructure facility).
- He is in custody without the right to bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
- A smartphone with evidence of his work for the FSB was seized during his detention near a critical warehouse in Kyiv Oblast.
Why it matters
The disclosure indicates Russian intelligence succeeded in placing an operative inside the Ukrainian Armed Forces with access to sensitive military information, including the locations of UAV personnel and logistics sites considered for missile and air strikes. The SBU's claim that more than 100 drone operators were evacuated before the alleged attack underscores the operational stakes. The criminal proceedings also carry potentially severe consequences, with the suspect facing life imprisonment and confiscation of property.
What happened
On 22 October, Ukraine's Security Service announced that its military counterintelligence, with assistance from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, had exposed a Russian agent in the ranks of the military. The suspect, a mobilized resident of Zhytomyr Oblast, had been recruited by the FSB before his call-up into the Armed Forces. Initially, he performed test tasks tracking fuel and energy infrastructure facilities in northern Ukraine. Russian intelligence then instructed him to mobilize into the Defense Forces to spy from within the Ukrainian military. During training at a UAV operator course, he allegedly collected personal data about the command and personnel of the training center for the Russian side. After unlawfully leaving his military unit, he traveled to Kyiv Oblast, where he reportedly transmitted coordinates of Ukrainian Defense Forces positions to the FSB and tracked the locations of army logistics centers being prepared for Russian missile and air strikes. He was detained by the SBU near one of the critically important warehouses in Kyiv Oblast. Investigators served him with suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 (state treason under martial law) and Part 2 of Article 259 (knowingly false reporting about a threat of explosion at a critical infrastructure facility). A smartphone with evidence of his work for the FSB was seized during his detention. He is in custody without the right to post bail and faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The complex measures were carried out under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Sphere of Defense and the Sviatoshynskyi District Prosecutor's Office of the city of Kyiv.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting, led by the SBU's own press service, frames the case as a successful counterintelligence operation. Coverage emphasizes the suspect's alleged targeting of his own UAV unit, his tracking of military logistics centers in Kyiv Oblast, the smartphone evidence seized during detention, and the evacuation of more than 100 drone operators from the potential strike zone. The case is presented as evidence that Russian intelligence penetrated the Armed Forces, alongside the criminal proceedings under Articles 111 and 259 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Background
According to the SBU, the man was recruited by the FSB before his mobilization. He initially tracked fuel and energy infrastructure in northern Ukraine as a test task, and Russian intelligence then directed him to mobilize into the Armed Forces. During UAV operator training, he collected personal data about the command and personnel of the training center. After unlawfully leaving his military unit, he traveled to Kyiv Oblast and tracked the locations of army logistics centers being prepared for possible Russian missile and air strikes. The SBU seized a smartphone with evidence of his work for the FSB during his detention near a critical warehouse in Kyiv Oblast. In exchange for cooperation, the Russians allegedly promised him evacuation to Russia and Russian citizenship.