The joint media investigation sheds fresh details on reports of Russia-sponsored killings of U.S. soldiers that first surfaced in 2020, including names of Russian intelligence officers and their local collaborators involved.
The newly detained suspects, a 33-year-old soldier who went AWOL (absent without leave) and his 25-year-old wife, were looking for "easy money" and were recruited via the Telegram messenger by Russian intelligence services, the SBU said.
Hundreds of Ukrainian schools, businesses, embassies, administrative buildings, and media outlets, including the Kyiv Independent, received bomb threats via email on Oct. 14, prompting evacuations of state institutions.
"Evil Corp has used the Dridex malware to infect computers and harvest login credentials from hundreds of banks and other financial institutions in over 40 countries, resulting in more than $100 million in theft losses and damage suffered by U.S. and international financial institutions and their customers," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
"(RT) is also engaged in information operations, covert influence, and military procurement. These operations are targeting countries around the world, including in Europe, Africa, and North and South America," the State Department said.
A notorious unit of Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) is carrying out cyber attacks against critical infrastructure in NATO and EU countries, as well as Ukraine, Western intelligence agencies warned on Sept. 5.
The intelligence network operated in Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. The suspects surveilled the Ukrainian Armed Forces and critical infrastructure facilities.
The perpetrators intended to target shopping centers, gas stations, pharmacies, and markets in Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic countries on the instruction of Russian intelligence services, according to the SBU.
Kyiv has denied any involvement in the attack. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told independent Russian media he believed there was "a malfunction with the gas equipment in the car."
Australian police arrested two Russian-born Australian citizens suspected of obtaining the country's military material to share it with Russian authorities, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on July 12.
After obtaining intelligence about the plans, the U.S. then shared the information with their German counterparts, who "were then able to protect (Rheinmetall CEO Armin) Papperger and foil the plot," CNN said.
The heightened security alert was first reported earlier in July as being connected to a possible terrorist threat directed at several U.S. military installations across Europe, including the facility in Germany where the U.S. European Command is based.
"We are now becoming a liability for our neighbors because Russia is using us as an operational base," an Austrian intelligence official told the Wall Street Journal.
Unnamed security officials told the Wall Street Journal that a number of details revealed in the subsequent investigation into the fire point to Russian involvement and the direct work of "experienced professionals."
Senator Mark Warner, who serves as the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that Russia and its proxies are "sowing discontent or trying to pit groups against each other (to) further social division" in the U.K.
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 groups.
Viacheslav Morozov was arrested in January 2024 on suspicion of spying for Russia.
Russian Fund for Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad (Pravfond) describes its goal as providing "Russian compatriots with comprehensive legal and other necessary support in cases of violation of their rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests."
U.K. authorities did not clarify the specifics of Howard Michael Phillips' alleged espionage activities but said that there was unlikely to be a threat to the general public.
Polish authorities are increasing security at the main transit hub for foreign military aid to Ukraine amidst increased threats of Russian-backed sabotage, Bloomberg reported on May 23.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said she was concerned that some other European leaders have not viewed the uptick in incidents of sabotage and arrest of suspected spies across the EU to be interconnected.
Investigators told France Info that there is "little doubt" it was an "operation to destabilize public opinion from Russia."
The Polish government arrested nine people from a Russian spy ring in connection to alleged sabotage plots, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told Polish media outlet TVN24.
A 45-year-old man from Kharkiv was detained by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) on May 9 for allegedly tracking Ukrainian firing position, and providing coordinates to Russian intelligence officers.
Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesperson for the Polish security service, said that the devices had been found and dismantled in a meeting room in Katowice.
A Russian correctional officer was arrested in Kharkiv for allegedly spying on Ukrainian defense position and providing Russia information in preparation for a air attack on military facilities - all under the guise of walking his dog, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on May 3.
NATO released a statement condemning Russian "hybrid actions" after multiple individuals were accused of working on behalf of Russia from within NATO territory.
Identified only as Thomas H., the 54-year-old went on trial in Dusseldorf on April 29 charged with conducting espionage on behalf of Moscow and leaking state secrets.
Russian military intelligence operatives were responsible for deadly ammunition depot explosions in Czechia in 2014, the Czech police said on April 29 following a three-year investigation.
The District Court in the Polish city of Gdansk sentenced a Russian citizen accused of espionage on behalf of Russia to two and a half years in prison, local media reported.
"A Belarusian working for Russia who ordered two Poles to assassinate Navalny's associate – detained," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. The two attackers are also in custody, he added.
Moscow attempted to undermine the democratic political process in Austria using a Russian spy and a political party he was associated with, the country's Chancellor said on April 18.
