Ukraine arrests police officer accused of spying for Russia

The Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) has arrested a police officer accused of spying for Russia.

According to a post published on Telegram, the SSU said it had dismantled a Russian intelligence network operating in the Mykolaiv region.

Two members of the spy cell were arrested by Ukrainian authorities following the investigation.

The spy network, which worked for the Russian domestic intelligence service FSB and the military intelligence service GRU of the embattled country, was also active in the Dnipropetrovsk and Ivano-Frankivsk regions.

Ukrainian officials claim the suspect recruited his father, a former police officer, for “intelligence and subversive activities.”

On the instructions of a Russian intelligence agency, agents in Mykolaiv were tasked with collecting data on the locations and movements of Ukrainian forces operating in the region, as well as on key critical infrastructure facilities.

The suspect exploited his official position as a police officer to obtain information and extracted information from work colleagues “under the guise of friendly conversations,” according to the SSU.

The SSU counterintelligence service arrested the suspect as he attempted to evade authorities and flee to Russian-occupied Crimea.

A photo posted on Telegram shows the suspect on the ground as he is arrested by Ukrainian authorities.

Ukrainian intelligence officials also published images of phones used for espionage purposes and of Russian currency.

The police officer has been in contact with the head of a Russian secret service cell, Andriy Shevchenko, since 2015.

“On Shevchenko's instructions, his agent in Mykolaiv collected data on the locations and movements of the armed forces units in the region. The accused also tried to identify the locations of strategic defense industry enterprises and reported to the occupiers on personnel decisions in the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine,” the SSU said.

According to a statement by the SSU, Russian forces allegedly shelled energy facilities in Prykarpattia based on information from the alleged spy.

The intelligence agent was also tasked with recruiting potential candidates for espionage activities. He attempted to recruit former and active police officers and military personnel in Mykolaiv for the intelligence network.

Authorities discovered evidence after confiscating electronic devices from the suspects and also found Russian symbols and rubles.

Those arrested are currently in custody and face life imprisonment if convicted.

Newsweek has asked the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Ukrainian Security Service for comment.

The arrest took place during a major border crossing that was launched by Kyiv with a surprise attack.

Earlier this month, a suspected Russian spy was detained by the SSU in Donetsk Oblast for allegedly collecting intelligence on Ukrainian military movements.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost two-thirds of the troops he had at his disposal before the invasion of Ukraine, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which publishes daily estimates of Russia's losses in troops and equipment.

According to the latest update, Russia has lost 1,120 soldiers in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 600,470.

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