The ongoing war in Ukraine has intensified espionage activities, with both sides seeking to gain a strategic edge.
In a recent development, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) arrested a woman accused of transmitting Ukrainian military positions and operations to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
According to Digi24, the 38-year-old suspect is from Toretsk in the Donetsk region. Recruited by the FSB at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she relocated to Vinnytsia as an internally displaced person.
To gather intelligence, she exploited her nephew, a contracted Ukrainian soldier unaware of her intentions.
Gathering and Transmitting Military Intelligence
The suspect maintained daily phone contact with her nephew, asking for details about Ukrainian troop positions and the aftermath of Russian strikes.
She relayed the information to her FSB handlers via encrypted messaging apps, deleting the messages after each transmission.
Realizing she was under surveillance, the woman fled to the Kirovohrad region, where she ceased communication with the FSB and attempted to remain hidden.
However, SBU agents tracked her to a rented apartment, where she was detained.
A search of the premises uncovered a phone containing evidence of her espionage activities.
How She Was Exposed
Investigators revealed that her pro-Kremlin comments in Telegram chat groups drew the attention of Russian intelligence, leading to her recruitment.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that she is now in custody and faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.
The case underscores the heightened security risks in Ukraine's eastern regions, where both local informants and digital espionage play key roles in the ongoing conflict.
