A Russian collaborator who spied on Ukrainian positions near Bakhmut in the spring of 2023 has been sentenced to 15-years in prison, Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) announced on June 18.
According to the SBU, the unnamed man provided geolocations of Ukrainian positions to Russian agents, who then used the intelligence to plan operations involving aerial bombs, artillery, and assault attacks.
The Ukrainian man, a resident of Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, was detained in May 2023 as he was actively conducting reconnaissance near a military facility. The man was originally recruited by a staff member of Russia's intelligence service and promised payment.
The man regularly communicated with Russian agents using an anonymous account through a messenger app. Text conversations were regularly deleted by the man to avoid detection, according to the SBU.
The collaborator was convicted under article 111 of Ukraine's Criminal Code - acts of treason committed under martial law.
The initial investigation was carried out by the SBU in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts under supervision of the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office.
Nate Ostiller
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