SBU uncovered a large espionage network of the GRU: hunting for F-16s and more.

The military counterintelligence of the SBU neutralized a network of agents from the Russian armed forces

The Security Service of Ukraine successfully conducted an operation during which the activities of a large espionage network of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces in five regions of Ukraine were halted.

During the special operation, 12 Russian agents and their informants were identified and detained, among whom were former servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who had deserted their posts. The main center of the spy network's activities was located in Dnipropetrovsk region, where the main resident of the group operated under fake documents as a volunteer and anti-corruption activist.

The agents operated in the territories of Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions. The main tasks of this group included identifying the positions of Ukraine's air defense and searching for potential bases for F-16 fighter jets. In particular, considerable attention was paid to reconnaissance of enterprises producing electronic warfare means against Russian drones.

The agents used their connections among servicemen in frontline regions to gather intelligence without revealing their true intentions. After receiving preliminary information, additional reconnaissance was conducted in the field.

During searches, law enforcement seized mobile phones, information storage devices, military documents, and forged identification papers. The detainees face 8 years to life imprisonment with property confiscation for charges of treason and unauthorized dissemination of information about the Armed Forces of Ukraine.