The SBU has apprehended an enemy informant who was spying in Dnipropetrovsk and aimed to join the Wagner Group.

The Security Service has detained an agent of the Russian military intelligence (commonly known as the GRU), who was spying for the enemy across ten regions of Ukraine. The suspect turned out to be a 22-year-old resident of Kherson, who posed as a military personnel and traversed our country under this "legend." This information was reported by SBU and Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor's Office, as conveyed by "Vydomo."

Throughout September and October 2024, the perpetrator collected and transmitted intelligence information to a representative of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation for use by the enemy in subversive activities against Ukraine.

According to the SBU counterintelligence, the agent operated in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, and Chernivtsi regions.

The suspect traveled between regions using public buses. In each area, he attempted to gather intelligence on air defense locations, as well as coordinates of military hospitals and other medical facilities where Ukrainian soldiers were receiving inpatient treatment.

A member of the illegal armed formation known as the so-called DNR, operating in the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region and part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, acted as an intermediary in the transmission of intelligence data.

Preliminarily, during the specified period, the suspect sent approximately 30 messages to his handler via messenger regarding:

• the locations of military facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in various cities;
• contact numbers of commanders of Ukrainian defense units;
• addresses of territorial recruitment centers, television towers, as well as geolocations of civilian ship docking in the port of Odesa.

While carrying out the aforementioned tasks, the suspect received a monetary transfer on his bank card from a representative of the Russian Federation.

Subsequently, some of the "handed over" targets were subjected to missile strikes from the Russian Federation.

After completing his espionage tasks, the occupiers promised to "evacuate" their accomplice to the aggressor country and arrange for him to join the "Wagner" PMC. According to case materials, the suspect intended to join this group to fight against Ukraine.

The Security Service thwarted the agent's plans and apprehended him "in the act" while he was scouting the locations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mykolaiv.

A mobile phone was seized from the detainee, on which he was preparing an intelligence "report" and sending it to his Russian contacts. The names of the individuals involved have already been established by SBU counterintelligence.

SBU investigators informed the agent of his suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (state treason committed in conditions of martial law).

The perpetrator is being held in custody without the right to bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.