SSU detains engineer at defense plant in Dnipropetrovsk region for spying for Russians
The counterintelligence directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine has detained an engineer at a strategic defense plant in the Dnipropetrovsk region who was spying for two Russian intelligence agencies: the FSB and military intelligence (better known as the GRU).
According to Ukrinform, the Security Service of Ukraine reported this.
According to the case file, the Russians recruited the man through his son, who is serving a prison sentence in Russia for drug-related crimes.
In exchange for promises of amnesty for the prisoner, the agent was to collect and pass on classified information regarding the execution of a defense contract.
To do this, the suspect planned to use his clearance for state secrets and his actual access to the plant’s special workshops.
Russian intelligence agencies also hoped to obtain from the agent the geolocation of high-tech facilities and the industrial production zone of the enterprise, which were being targeted for ballistic strikes.
SSU officers uncovered the agent’s espionage activities in advance, documented his crimes, and detained him at his workplace.
The investigation also revealed that the suspect was tasked with identifying potential candidates among his colleagues and the plant’s security personnel for recruitment into the Russian intelligence network.
During a search, a smartphone was seized from the detainee containing evidence of his collaboration with two handlers from the FSB and the GRU. They used several anonymous chat rooms in messaging apps for covert communication.
Investigators have notified the agent that he is suspected of violating Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
The suspect is being held in custody without the right to bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
As reported by Ukrinform, the counterintelligence unit of the Security Service of Ukraine detained a Russian agent in the Donetsk region who was coordinating airstrikes on Kramatorsk.
Photo: SSU