The Security Service of Ukraine has detained an FSB agent who, according to the investigation, was preparing a new series of Russian missile and drone strikes on thermal power stations and electrical substations supplying the capital region and the Zhytomyr region. The suspect was detained at his workplace; he is also suspected of conducting reconnaissance of Defence Forces locations in northern Ukraine.
Briefly about the main points
- The SBU has detained a suspected FSB agent in the Zhytomyr region.
- Investigators believe that he was preparing data for attacks on energy infrastructure.
- The man was also scouting locations of the Defence Forces in the north.
- During the search, a smartphone containing evidence of collaboration with Russia was seized.
- The suspect was remanded in custody without the right to bail.
How, according to the investigation, the agent operated
Pros. materials According to cyber experts and SBU investigators, an employee of a granite-processing company in the Zhytomyr region was carrying out tasks for the Russian security services. He came to the FSB’s attention whilst looking for «quick» money on Telegram channels.
After being recruited, the man used the pretext of business trips to monitor the aftermath of previous attacks on energy infrastructure in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. According to the SBU, this information was to be used to prepare new attacks on the thermal power station and electrical substations.
At the same time, he was recording the locations where Defence Forces personnel and equipment were concentrated, as well as the sites of operational airfields and military training grounds. The SBU reported that it had taken measures to secure the facilities and locations that the suspect had been surveying.
Suspicions and the context of the attacks on the energy sector
During searches, a smartphone containing evidence of his work for Russia was seized from the detainee, the SBU reported. He has been charged under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code — treason during a state of martial law. The penalty under this article is life imprisonment with confiscation of property. The preventive measure is detention without the possibility of bail.
This latest case is by no means the first publicly known instance in 2026 of data being collected with a view to carrying out attacks on Kyiv’s thermal power stations. In March, the SBU reported the arrest in Kyiv of a woman whom investigators suspect of conducting reconnaissance near thermal power stations and defence industry facilities. This may indicate a systematic interest on the part of the Russian security services in up-to-date information on the condition of energy facilities following attacks.
For Kyiv, the CHP plant is an integral part not only of electricity generation but also of the centralised heating and hot water supply systems. The Kyiv authorities reported that in January 2026, «Kyivteploenergo» carried out a recalculation for 99% consumers due to periods of service interruption or inadequate heat transfer fluid parameters.
The investigation is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and the surrounding region
The comprehensive operation was carried out by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine’s Main Directorate in Kyiv and the Kyiv Region, under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
