(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Counter-intelligence officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have detained an agent of the Russian military intelligence who, passing himself off as a taxi driver, was spying on civilian and military objects in Ukraine's southern Kherson region.
That's according to the SBU press center , Ukrinform reports.
"First of all, the culprit tracked the locations of the largest concentration of personnel and combat equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the location of fortifications. To gather intelligence, the Russian agent posed as a taxi driver and drove around the city in his own car, in which he installed a hidden video recorder," the report said.
In addition, he tried to get the necessary information by having trust-building conversations with his passengers. Ukrainian military even used his services from time to time.
The suspect sent the received information via messenger to the invaders so that they could prepare targeted strikes on the city, using artillery and kamikaze drones.
SBU employees exposed the aggressor's plans in advance and thwarted their implementation. At the same time, comprehensive measures have been taken to secure the Ukrainian military and officials of the front-line regional military administration.
This became possible thanks to the exposure of the Russian agent at the initial stage of his intelligence activity.
After that, each of his steps was documented and he was detained while carrying out an enemy mission.
In particular, during the investigation, the SBU learned about the suspect's involvement in a plot to kill Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the local regional military administration.
It was established that the invaders tried to target the official's car with a Russian FPV drone based on the coordinates and tips of the agent.
The drone was equipped with a round for an RPG-7 hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher that was supposed to hit the vehicle carrying the official.
Thanks to the SBU and Ukrainian defenders, the drone was neutralized.
According to the investigation, the detainee is a 55-year-old local who worked remotely for the Russian special services through an acquaintance - a former local who fled to Russia after the full-scale invasion and began working for the Russian military intelligence. The SBU has already identified him.
Based on the collected evidence, SBU investigators handed the detainee a suspicion notice under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason committed under martial law).
He is in custody. The perpetrator faces life imprisonment. Comprehensive measures are being taken to prosecute his accomplice, who is hiding in Russia.
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