Security Service of Ukraine neutralises subversion and reconnaissance group that prepared assassinations of commanders of Special Operations Forces

The counter-intelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine has neutralised the subversion and reconnaissance group of the FSB as a result of a multi-stage special operation in Kyiv and Sumy oblasts.

Source: Artem Dekhtiarenko, spokesperson of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU); Prosecutor's Office in Sumy Oblast

Quote: "It has been established that they scouted the points of deployment and movement of Ukrainian troops on the territory of the capital and in the border oblasts of our country’s northeast.

One of the main tasks of enemy saboteurs was the collection of personal data and whereabouts of commanders of combat units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The aggressor planned to use the received information to prepare for the assassination of Ukrainian defenders and the destruction of their weaponsry and military equipment".

Details: The SSU said that the subversion group had been formed by a personnel officer of the FSB to carry out intelligence and subversive activities against Ukraine.

The group included a 42-year-old resident of the border area of Sumy Oblast, who was recruited by Russian secret services after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

He was in direct contact with his handler and coordinated with him the plans and algorithms of actions regarding the execution of enemy tasks. For communication, they used closed channels of electronic communication in compliance with conspiracy measures.

Guided by the FSS, the agent involved another local resident in the subversive activity.

To gather intelligence, they used their connections in the Oblast and travelled around the border area, observing units of the Armed Forces.

In addition, one of them went to Kyiv, where he tried to covertly take photos and videos of the locations of Ukrainian defenders and transmit the corresponding coordinates to the Russian Federation.

It is noted that the SSU employees promptly exposed the perpetrators, documented their criminal actions, and on 7 November, they detained the saboteurs when they were taking weapons from a previously arranged cache in Sumy Oblast.

During the inspection of the hiding place, the law enforcement officers discovered 2 TM-62M anti-tank mines with detonators, 2 RGO combat grenades with fuses, a Kalashnikov assault rifle with a loaded cartridge.

Computer equipment and mobile phones with evidence of conspiratorial correspondence with the representative of the FSS were also found during searches of the perpetrators' residences.

One of the men was notified that he was under suspicion of treason committed under martial law. The other one will be held responsible for disseminating information about the location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A preventive measure in the form of detention will be implemented for the perpetrators. At the same time, the issue of additional qualifications for preparation of sabotage is being considered for the suspect of treason under martial law, the SSU notes.

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