Ukrainian ‘traitor’ behind Russian missile guidance system charged with treason, SBU says
Ukraine's security service (SBU) has charged in absentia a former defense engineer with treason, accusing him of helping Russia target Ukrainian cities by developing navigation systems for cruise and ballistic missiles, the SBU said on June 25.
According to the agency, Oleh Borsuk, a 61-year-old Ukrainian national, fled to Russia in 2009 after resigning from a defense plant in Cherkasy Oblast. He later became deputy general director of Moscow-based design bureau "Navis," a major player in Russia's military-industrial complex.
Borsuk allegedly oversaw the development and modernization of satellite guidance systems (GPS/GLONASS) used in Russian missiles. In 2023 alone, under his leadership, nearly 3,200 satellite navigation units were produced, including those for Iskander tactical missile systems, the SBU said.
These systems are also used in missiles like the Kh-101, Kh-59, and Kalibr — weapons frequently deployed in Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
The deadliest attacks include the July 8, 2024, strike on the Okhmatdyt children hospital in Kyiv, which killed two adults, including a doctor, and injured more than 50 people, including children. The hospital was hit by a Kh-101 cruise missile in accordance with a programmed route.
Another devastating strike occurred on June 17, when a massive missile and drone assault on Kyiv killed 30 people and injured 172 others. One of the deadliest impacts was a direct hit on a residential building by a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile, which caused the complete collapse of an entire section of the nine-story residential building.
According to a spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force Yurii Ihnat, the building was struck by a Kh-101 missile.
The SBU has charged Borsuk in absentia under Ukraine's Criminal Code for treason committed under martial law.
"Since the perpetrator is hiding in the territory of the Russian Federation, comprehensive measures are underway to bring him to justice for crimes against our state," the SBU said.
Alisa Yurchenko
