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SBU detains woman suspected of spying in Zhytomyr Oblast

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk August 9, 2023 12:44 PM 2 min read
A photo released by the Zhytomyr Oblast Prosecutor's Office on Aug. 9, 2023, of the woman being detained by the SBU. (Zhytomyr Oblast Regional Prosecutor's Office)
This audio is created with AI assistance

A woman has been detained under suspicion of spying for the Russian military, the Zhytomyr Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported on Aug. 9.

The 42-year-old woman, who is originally from Donetsk Oblast but lived in Zhytomyr Oblast since March, is believed to have cooperated with Russian military intelligence by giving them information that was used to launch missile strikes.

She informed the Russian military of arms deliveries, the deployment of Ukrainian troops, and the location of military facilities in the region.

In July, she went to a military facility in Zhytomyr Oblast to photograph the site, note the number and movement of military equipment, and calculate GPS coordinates. She sent the information to her Russian handler by email.  

The woman has been informed that she is under suspicion of committing treason. She remains in custody without bail while Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducts a pre-trial investigation.

On Aug. 1, the SBU said that it detained a suspected spy for providing Russian security services with information on the consequences of Russian airstrikes in Mykolaiv Oblast.

A similar arrest was announced by the SBU on July 20, when an employee of the state railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia was detained for helping Russia to plan air strikes against Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

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