The military counterintelligence has detained a 24-year-old contract serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is suspected of planning to defect to the self-proclaimed separatist Donetsk People's Republic, the press centre of the Joint Forces Operation HQ has said.
He was looking to earn money and started informing the DPR about the locations of army units and hardware of his own will.
"I wrote [militant] Heorhiy that I want to defect to the DPR. He answered that I need to change into civilian clothes and come to the town of Dokuchayevsk to meet representatives of the DPR state security ministry for further cooperation," the detained serviceman said.
Police opened a criminal case over theft of military property as he had confessed to stealing two night vision devices and a radio station worth 16,000 hryvnyas (600 dollars).