SBU detains Russian agent who directed strikes on Nikopol
Counterintelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have detained an agent of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Dnipropetrovsk region who was directing attacks on Nikopol using multiple-launch rocket systems, tube artillery, and FPV drones.
The SBU said this in a statement seen by Ukrinform.
The investigation found that the strikes were coordinated by a locally recruited repeat offender who had served a prison sentence for theft in the mid-1990s.
In the summer of 2025, he came to the attention of Russian intelligence services because of his own posts in Telegram channels supporting the Kremlin regime.
An FSB officer later contacted the man via messenger and offered him "quick money" in exchange for cooperation.
Investigators established that the agent received his first payment from the Russians via a drone that dropped a capsule containing cash near his home.
In return, the suspect tracked the locations of Ukrainian forces in the frontline city and along the coastal area.
The enemy was particularly interested in the locations of fortifications and the air defense firing positions of Ukrainian troops.
To gather intelligence, the agent also covertly questioned acquaintances about the whereabouts of defense facilities before conducting additional reconnaissance at those locations.
SBU officers took steps in advance to secure the positions of defenders in the Dnipropetrovsk region and detained the agent after documenting his intelligence activities.
During a search, officers seized a smartphone containing evidence of his cooperation with the FSB.
Based on the documented evidence, SBU investigators served the detainee with a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – high treason committed under martial law.
The suspect remains in custody and faces a possible life sentence with confiscation of property.
Photo: SBU