SBU: FSB agents posing as engaged couple arrested for spying on Odesa maritime security
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has arrested a 23-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman who, according to investigators, were gathering intelligence on the locations of maritime security border units defending Odesa's waters on behalf of Russian special services, according to the SBU press service.
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The man has been charged with treason, while the woman faces charges related to the unauthorized dissemination of information about weapons movement in Ukraine and the movement or location of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the security service, to obtain intelligence, the suspects walked around the area posing as an engaged couple, taking photos in front of "necessary" objects.
Based on the information received, the man was preparing an agent's "report" for his supervisor from the FSB's Eastern Military District, who has already been identified. The occupiers planned to use any current intelligence for strikes on Ukrainian defenders' bases, the SBU noted.
Law enforcement officers caught the suspects red-handed while they were spying near a potential target. The investigation revealed that the man was also tasked with posting 100 provocative anti-mobilization leaflets around the city and setting fire to a local electrical substation.
According to the investigation, he came to the occupiers' attention in May through anonymous chats in a Telegram channel discussing ways to evade mobilization. After recruitment, he involved his girlfriend in subversive activities.
During searches of the detainees' residence, mobile phones with evidence of crimes were seized. A bank card used to receive payment for their "work" and a batch of anti-Ukrainian leaflets were also found.
Currently, the man is in custody, while the decision on a preventive measure for the woman is pending.
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