Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine has arrested an agent of Russian military intelligence who directed missile attacks by Russia on Zaporizhzhia.
It was established that, at his direction, the occupiers shelled residential buildings in the town of Stepnogorsk on the eve of 2024. As a result of the enemy strike, a 43-year-old man was killed, and many private homes were damaged or completely destroyed.
According to the investigation, the adjuster of enemy fire turned out to be a guard at a local kindergarten. In December of last year, the man was remotely recruited by a representative of the main directorate of the general staff of the Russian armed forces (known as the "gru").
He came to the attention of the Russian forces through his acquaintance – a choir singer from the local UOC-MP church who fled to the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhzhia and works for the special services of Russia.
At the direction of the Russian "gru," the agent gathered intelligence on the locations and movements of Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Zaporizhzhia direction. The "gru" was particularly interested in the places with the largest concentration of personnel and military equipment of the Ukrainian forces.
Additionally, he directed Russian missile strikes on the civilian and critical infrastructure of the region, causing harm to the civilian population. SSU operatives arrested the Russian agent at his own residence. During the search, a mobile phone used by the suspect for communication with the Russian "gru" via a popular messenger was seized.
He is in custody. The suspect faces a life sentence.
