Russian spy receives 15 years for missile strike guidance in Zhytomyr Oblast
A middle-aged female agent recruited by Russian military intelligence used social media to coordinate missile strikes, while seeking sensitive military information, a court found.
On 29 November, Ukraine’s security service SBU reported the conviction of a Russian military intelligence agent who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for guiding Russian missile and drone strikes on Zhytomyr Oblast.
Since 2022, the SBU has intensified its efforts to capture Russian agents operating in Ukraine to dismantle networks that facilitate espionage and sabotage activities for Russian intelligence. Most reported cases involve setting Ukrainian soldiers’ cars on fire in exchange for promised monetary rewards.
The 43-year-old female agent, a displaced person from Donetsk Oblast, was arrested in August 2023 while allegedly preparing to escape to Russia. According to the SBU investigation, she relocated to Kyiv after the full-scale invasion and subsequently rented accommodation in Zhytomyr Oblast.
The investigation revealed that the suspect sought connections with Russian military intelligence through social media platforms. SBU says she used her personal page on the Russian social network “Odnoklassniki,” banned in Ukraine, to glorify Wagner mercenary group members and justify their crimes.
After remote recruitment, she received an operational pseudonym and instructions for actions in the region. She reportedly transmitted obtained information to her Russian handler through anonymous messenger chats and email.
The court found her guilty under two articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code: Part 2 of Article 111 (state treason during martial law) and Part 2 of Article 436-2 (justifying, recognizing as legitimate, denying Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, and glorifying its participants).
Related:
- SBU breaks up Russian spy network in Kharkiv, arresting former Berkut officers for espionage
- SBU captures suspected Russian GRU mole within Ukraine’s SOF
- Ukraine arrests suspected Russian agent in Chernihiv for arson and targeting military sites
- SBU foils arson plot by suspected Russian agent in Dnipro
- Ukraine arrests UN aid volunteer accused of spying for Russia in Donetsk Oblast
- Military contractor and blogger arrested on suspicion of sharing Ukrainian military locations
- Russian colonel linked to military intelligence shot dead near Moscow – Ukraine silent
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