SBU arrests Russian spy in Ukrainian Air Force plotting airfield strikes
The military counterintelligence of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), with the assistance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has exposed and detained another Russian "mole" in the Air Force of Ukraine: he was preparing enemy strikes on airfields where F-16 and Mirage 2000 are based.
"He turned out to be an instructor pilot, a major in one of the air brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The unit in which this person served performs combat missions to shoot down enemy missiles and drones, and also practices on ground targets, supporting the operations of the Ukrainian army from the air," the SBU reported on its Telegram channel on Wednesday.
As the investigation established, this agent simultaneously carried out several enemy tasks.
"First, he transmitted information for the preparation of new missile and drone attacks by the Russian Federation on air force facilities. In particular, the enemy's priority targets were the airfields where the F-16, Mirage 2000 and Su-24 aircraft were based," the report states.
According to the SBU, the agent collected the coordinates of the location of these aircraft, schedules and the principle of the order of their departure.
In addition, as the Ukrainian special service emphasizes, in order to ensure the success of the enemy strike, the person in question prepared and transmitted to the occupiers an analytical report on the necessary, in his opinion, tactics for carrying out combined strikes.
"This was supposed to allow the Russians to strike "bypassing" the protection of the relevant military facilities," the department specifies.
Secondly, according to the SBU, the agent provided Russian military intelligence with personal data of the pilots of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the tail numbers and armament of their aircraft, and the tactics of combat missions.
"For the purpose of conspiracy, the defendant contacted the Russian special serviceman via an anonymous e-mail channel and used "secret chats" in messengers," the report says.
SBU officers documented the agent's crimes and detained him after he attempted to collect a "new portion" of information.
Security Service investigators plan to inform the detainee of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law).
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the SBU in the Ivano-Frankivsk region under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the Field of Defense of the Western Region.
