Putin's Wagner Group informant was spying on military airfields in the Donetsk region. He was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
Spy monitored Ukrainian Army's positions in Donetsk region
The SSU reported that the detainee was tracking the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kramatorsk district.
He received this task from the militants of the Russian private military company Wagner, which is now part of the regular Russian army.
On their instructions, the suspect was to identify and pass on the exact coordinates of the airfields where the Ukrainian Armed Forces combat helicopters are based.
According to the SSU, the Wagner mercenaries also wanted to find out the locations of personnel and heavy weapons of Ukrainian troops defending the district centre.
The Russians planned to use the data to prepare combat operations in the Kramatorsk and Sloviansk areas.
Who was the spy from Donetsk region?
The investigation revealed that the aggressor's accomplice was a local resident, an ideological supporter of the Kremlin regime.
In the autumn of 2023, he agreed to work for the occupiers, who remotely contacted the man through his Russian acquaintance. The woman, in turn, "worked" for a member of the Wagner occupation group.
The detainee communicated with the woman through a messenger, observing secrecy measures. For example, the defendant regularly deleted all messages after the end of the communication session with the Russian woman.
Law enforcement officers documented that to collect intelligence, the offender walked around the area on foot and covertly filmed the surrounding area under the guise of a walk.
Investigators served the detainee a notice of suspicion under Part 2 Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorised dissemination of information on the sending, movement of weapons, armaments and ammunition to Ukraine, movement, relocation or deployment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine).
The detainee is in custody. He faces up to 8 years in prison.
