SBU detains Russian agent for directing strikes on Mykolaiv region
The SBU office in the Mykolaiv region reported this via Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
"The suspect is a 57-year-old local resident and former furniture factory worker. His main task was to locate and relay the coordinates of military checkpoints and troop concentrations, as well as to surveil a nearby airfield for the presence of aircraft, personnel, and equipment," the statement reads.
To gather this intelligence, the agent traveled around the area under the guise of running everyday errands.
The collected information was sent to a chatbot operated by Serhii Lebedev, known by the alias "Lokhmatyi," who is currently hiding in occupied Donetsk and working for Russia's FSB Federal Security Service and military intelligence. Lebedev then passed the data to his handlers.
Cybersecurity experts with the SBU identified the informant, documented his activities, and apprehended him at his residence. At the same time, the SBU carried out comprehensive measures to secure the locations of Ukrainian defense forces.
The suspect has been formally charged under Part 3, Article 114-2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code — the unauthorized dissemination of information on the movement or location of Ukraine's Armed Forces under martial law. He is currently in custody with no option for bail and faces up to 12 years in prison.
The SBU said that since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, the agency has uncovered more than 30 informants linked to "Lokhmatyi," most of whom have already been sentenced to prison.
Photo credit: SBU
