Five members of a Russian spy ring working secretly as undercover agents in Ukraine’s intelligence services have been arrested.
The quintet were caught passing information about Ukraine’s military sites, defensive positions and energy facilities.
Kyiv claimed the group were giving the details to Russia’s FSB security service.
The agency also shared photos of the men being arrested but with their faces blurred out.
Ukraine arrested five members of a Russian spy network
SBU security service
Photographs showed two men in separate images facing the camera accompanied by two Ukrainian intelligence officers.
Two other images showed a man being placed in the back of a vehicle and another man being escorted down a corridor.
The men were charged with treason following their involvement in assisting Russia.
In a statement, Ukraine’s SBU security service said: “The security service of Ukraine neutralised a powerful agent network run by the FSB’s military counterintelligence which was operating in Ukraine.
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Some of the members were photographed alongside Ukrainian agents
SBU security service
“As a result of a multi-stage special operation, five members of the enemy group were detained in different regions.
“Among them are former officials of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, as well as an employee of the regional SBU department.”
It added: “According to the investigation, the FSB recruited members of the group, using, among other things, threats to kill their families.
“In addition, for each completed task, the perpetrators received funds from the Russian Federation.
The arrests have come as a blow to Vladimir Putin
SBU security service
“Currently, the investigators of the Security Service have already informed five members of the Russian intelligence network about the suspicion under Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (treason). They have already been remanded in custody.
“An investigation is underway to bring to justice all enemy accomplices.”
Information passed on the Kremlin allegedly included details about defensive barriers near the Black Sea port city of Odesa and the location of rocket launchers in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Ukrainian troop movements and vehicles were also handed over, the general prosecutor in Kyiv has claimed.
