Ukraine Says FSB Mole Targeted Drone Unit, Over 100 Operators Evacuated
An alleged FSB infiltrator exposed Ukrainian drone positions to Russian intelligence, prompting the evacuation of more than 100 operators, according to the SBU.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) says it has detained an alleged Russian FSB agent who infiltrated the Ukrainian Armed Forces and passed targeting information about his own drone unit to Russian intelligence, prompting the evacuation of more than 100 Ukrainian drone operators.
In a statement issued on October 22, the SBU said its military counterintelligence department, working with the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, uncovered a soldier from the Zhytomyr region who had allegedly been recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) before joining the military.
According to investigators, the suspect initially carried out intelligence-gathering assignments focused on energy infrastructure in northern Ukraine. His Russian handlers subsequently instructed him to enlist in the Ukrainian Armed Forces to collect information from within military units. During training as a drone operator, he allegedly gathered personal information about commanders and personnel at a military training center.
The SBU said the suspect later disclosed coordinates of Ukrainian military positions to Russian intelligence, exposing his own unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) unit to a potential missile strike. Ukrainian counterintelligence personnel intervened and evacuated more than 100 drone operators from the threatened area before they could be hit.
After leaving his military unit without authorization, the suspect reportedly moved to the Kyiv region, where he continued gathering intelligence on Ukrainian military logistics facilities. Investigators said Russian forces were preparing missile and air strikes against locations identified through his reporting.
SBU officers detained the suspect near a critical military warehouse in the Kyiv region. A smartphone allegedly containing evidence of communications with Russian intelligence was seized during the operation.
According to the security service, Russian handlers had promised the suspect relocation to Russia and Russian citizenship in exchange for his cooperation.
Ukrainian authorities have charged the suspect with high treason under martial law and knowingly making a false bomb-threat report concerning critical infrastructure. He remains in custody without bail and faces a potential life sentence if convicted.
The SBU has not disclosed the identity of the suspect or the military unit involved, nor has it provided independent confirmation of whether a strike reached the evacuated position.
