Counterintelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine detained two agents of the Russian military intelligence (known as GRU) who operated in Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions. The criminals were preparing a series of Russian airstrikes on high-voltage power lines to cause power outages in northern regions of Ukraine.
According to case materials, the suspects traveled to the area and recorded the geolocations of potential targets.
It was also established that, in order to bypass Ukrainian air defense, the agents were supposed to identify and transmit the coordinates of Ukrainian military radar stations to the Russian forces.
The SSU's counterintelligence service timely exposed both criminals, documented their crimes, and detained them at their residences in Kyiv.
The Russian accomplices turned out to be a 27-year-old legal assistant from a local law firm and his acquaintance, a 25-year-old unemployed individual.
In 2024, they were both looking for "quick earnings" on Telegram channels, where they were later recruited by the Russian GRU.
For intelligence gathering, the suspects "traveled" across three regions of Ukraine. When they found "necessary" locations, they photographed them using a special app that marked the coordinates, date, and time of the photo.
It was documented that the agents coordinated their actions remotely with several representatives of the Russian intelligence service. For security purposes, they constantly changed SIM cards and phones to conceal their communications in messengers.
During searches, computer equipment and 8 mobile phones with evidence of cooperation with the Russian military intelligence were seized.
SSU investigators notified the suspects of charges under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
The criminals are currently in custody and face life imprisonment with asset confiscation.
