Ukrainian spies accused of aiding Russian missile strikes detained
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a couple from Kharkiv. They are accused of assisting in preparing missile strikes on the defensive positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
To gather intelligence, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) recruited a female agent. The woman worked as a nurse at a local medical facility in Kharkiv. She persuaded her husband to spy for the Russians.
Both were tasked with finding the exact locations of the AFU headquarters and fortifications and the State Border Guard Service. The woman asked her acquaintances for information on the AFU's locations in the Kharkiv region.
Meanwhile, her husband, a former police officer, sought information from his former colleagues. At his wife's request, the man drove around the border area to independently identify the locations of Ukrainian defences.
The collected information was sent to a Russian handler through a messaging app on the woman's phone. The couple held pro-Russian views. The woman drew the FSB’s attention due to her pro-Kremlin beliefs, which she frequently shared on social media. Her husband also supported the aggressor country and hoped for Russian forces to take over the region.
During the search of the detainees' homes, the SBU seized mobile phones and SIM cards from various operators. The smartphones' memory contained evidence of criminal activity.
Investigators charged the woman with treason. Her husband was treated more leniently. He will face court on charges of unauthorized dissemination of information regarding the sending and moving of weapons, arms, and ammunition to Ukraine and the position or movement of the Armed Forces or other military formations.
The couple has been arrested. They face eight years to life in prison. The SBU also identified the person who received the reports from the two pro-Russian spies.
