The Counter-Intelligence Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine has detained a local woman in Sumy who is suspected of collaborating with the Russian FSB and planning further attacks on the frontline town. According to the investigation, the woman was gathering information on the locations of Ukrainian border guards and Defence Forces checkpoints. In an attempt to avoid detection, she changed her place of residence four times in the space of a week and used two mobile phones to communicate with her Russian handler.
Briefly about the main points
- The SBU has detained a woman in Sumy on suspicion of collaborating with the FSB.
- According to the investigation, she was gathering the coordinates of checkpoints and border guards’ bases.
- To maintain her cover, the suspect changed her place of residence four times over the course of a week.
- During the searches, two smartphones used to communicate with a Russian handler were seized.
- The woman is charged with treason, an offence punishable by life imprisonment.
A woman was looking for military installations on the outskirts of Sumy
According to the case file, the suspect is an unemployed resident of the regional capital who was recruited by the Russian secret service to gather intelligence.
According to the investigation, the woman’s main task was to identify the bases of Ukrainian border guards and the locations of checkpoints on the outskirts of Sumy. The information obtained could have been used by Russian troops to prepare further attacks.
To identify potential targets, the suspect travelled by public transport, in particular by local buses, and also explored the area on foot. During these trips, she photographed sites of interest to the Russian security services and marked their coordinates on Google Maps.
The information gathered, according to the SBU, the woman sent it to an FSB representative.
Law enforcement agencies have previously uncovered similar schemes for gathering information in other regions of Ukraine. In particular, in September, the SBU reported that the arrest of a Russian informant in Dnipro, who is suspected of preparing data for the targeting of missile and drone strikes.
Over the course of a week, the suspect changed her place of residence four times
The woman’s attempts to conceal her activities caught the investigators’ attention.
According to the SBU, she changed her place of residence four times in the space of a week. To do so, she made use of the homes and outbuildings of people she knew.
According to the police, the people who allowed her to stay at their homes temporarily were unaware of her possible collaboration with the Russian secret service.
Despite her constantly changing addresses, the counter-intelligence service managed to locate her. The woman was arrested at one of the properties where she was staying temporarily.
During the searches, the police seized two smartphones. According to the investigation, the suspect used them in turn to communicate covertly with an FSB officer.
The FSB recruited a woman via a job advertisement on Telegram
According to the investigation, the suspect came to the attention of the Russian security services whilst looking for easy money on themed Telegram channels.
Subsequently, according to law enforcement officials, she agreed to carry out tasks for an FSB representative relating to the gathering of information about Ukrainian military personnel and defence facilities.
Investigators documented her movements, contacts and the passing on of the information she had gathered.
At present, the SBU has not disclosed whether the woman received money for carrying out the tasks or whether Russian strikes were carried out using the coordinates she provided.
The suspect faces life imprisonment
SBU investigators served the detainee a notice of suspicion of Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - high treason committed under martial law.
The penalty under this section is 15 years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment with confiscation of property. According to the security services, the suspect is in custody.
The operation was carried out by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine’s Main Directorate for the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions, under the procedural supervision of the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Only a court can determine whether the woman is guilty.
