Military counter-intelligence officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have detained a Russian agent in Odesa who was installing GPS trackers on fuel tankers.
According to the security service’s press release, the enemy hoped to use this to track where the vehicles were refuelled and, as a result, determine the coordinates of oil depots in the region.
It has been documented that the suspect attached at least two remotely accessible “beacons” for Russian intelligence operatives: one to a military fuel tanker and another to a civilian petrol tanker.
Once the coordinates were obtained, the enemy planned to launch massive strikes on the fuel storage facilities. This could have disrupted the Defence Forces’ logistics and destabilised the situation in the region.
SBU officers uncovered the Russians’ plan, removed the spying devices and detained the agent. The investigation found that the enemy’s task was carried out by a 20-year-old former student at one of Odesa’s universities, who was working part-time as a loader at a postal branch.
He came to the attention of Russian intelligence operatives after being expelled for poor academic performance and then looking for “easy” money on Telegram channels. After agreeing to co-operate with the enemy, the suspect initially documented the aftermath of enemy attacks on Odesa.
To conceal his reconnaissance trips, he constantly changed how he travelled: by minibus or on foot. He later received instructions to identify Ukrainian oil depots in order to help guide the aggressor state’s jet-powered drones and missile weapons towards them.
To do this, the suspect, following instructions from his handler in Russia, bought GPS trackers, configured them according to the Russians’ recommendations and installed them on the tankers.
During searches, officers seized a smartphone from the detainee containing evidence of his work for the enemy.
SBU investigators have served him with a notice of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law). The suspect is being held in custody without the right to post bail. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.