Ukraine's Security Service detains young man who directed Russian attack on Kyiv on 24 May

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) counterintelligence unit has detained a Russian agent who directed one of the largest Russian attacks on Kyiv on the night of 23-24 May. The attack injured 91 people and killed two.

Source: SSU; Ruslan Kravchenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine

Details: The SSU said the suspect was detained the day after the attack on the capital while conducting additional reconnaissance near a Ministry of Defence facility and gathering information on the consequences of the Russian strikes.

Quote from the SSU: "The investigation established that the enemy's assignment was carried out by an 18-year-old resident of Kyiv who came to the attention of Russian secret services while looking for 'easy money' on Telegram channels.

After being recruited, the agent travelled to the outskirts of the capital, where he marked transport routes used to move military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Google Maps.

This was a test assignment, after which he was instructed to document the consequences of the combined attack on Kyiv and 'report back' to the Russians."

Details: Kravchenko said the suspect is an 18-year-old young man who was born in Cherkasy Oblast.

A phone containing prepared intelligence reports with detailed descriptions of the consequences of the attack was seized from him at the scene.

"Well, don't be disappointed if anything goes wrong... I'll pay you regardless of whether there was something there or not," the handler wrote to the suspect.

After identifying damage to a neighbouring building, he added: "Film that as well. But the building first. Maybe they got it wrong."

The 18-year-old suspect has been charged with treason committed under martial law. The court ordered his detention without bail.

The operation was carried out through coordinated efforts involving the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office, the SSU and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

Background:

• On the night of 23-24 May, Russian forces carried out a large-scale combined strike on Ukraine using 90 missiles and 600 drones of various types, including an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile.
• Across Ukraine, 4 people were killed and around 100 injured, with approximately 30 residential buildings damaged or destroyed in Kyiv alone.
• As of 25 May, two people have been reportedly killed and 91 injured, including 3 children, in the large-scale Russian attack.

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