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SBU detains spy accused of directing Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia

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SBU detains spy accused of directing Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia
A Ukrainian citizen accused of spying for Russia arrested by an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine in a photo posted on Dec. 18, 2023. (SBU/Telegram)

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Ukrainian citizen who allegedly spied for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) to help direct a Russian attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia, in which five people died, the SBU reported on Dec. 18.

The man was allegedly remotely recruited by the FSB in October and subsequently formed his own networks of informants to scour Zaporizhzhia in search of the positions of Ukrainian troops and defenses.

The conspirators then are accused of taking pictures and videos of different suspected locations, which they shared with their FSB contacts.

A building in central Zaporizhzhia was allegedly struck as a result of the spying. Five people died, and another five were seriously injured.

The SBU said that the man has been charged with treason and faces life in prison if convicted.

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Nate Ostiller

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Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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