Ukraine Dismantles Russian Spy Ring Targeting F-16 Bases
Investigators said the group sent photos and flight schedules to Russian handlers, while SBU blocked four Telegram channels and 10 related groups.
- Ukraine's Security Service dismantled a 14-person Russian military intelligence network that photographed airbases housing F-16 and French-supplied Mirage jets, using high-quality cameras from abandoned buildings near military infrastructure.
- A Lviv resident running an aviation Telegram channel initiated the network after Russian handlers noticed his pro-Kremlin posts; he recruited 13 subscribers without their knowledge, claiming photos were for his blog.
- The lead agent obtained helicopter flight schedules from an Ukrainian Air Force squadron commander who provided the data voluntarily, resulting in national security charges for the ringleader, accomplice, and officer.
- Investigators blocked four Telegram channels and ten related groups used to distribute military data, as SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad framed the case as part of broader counterintelligence efforts to secure Ukraine's rear.
- This dismantling follows recent arrests including a GRU spotter in Odesa last week and an FSB cell in Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kirovohrad, orchestrated by fugitive Sergey Lebedev, alias "Lokhmaty.
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A 14-member spy network was working for the Russian military intelligence service GRU, which was broken up by the Ukrainian secret service SBU. The Russians were primarily interested in airports where American F-16 fighters and French Mirage 2000s operate in Ukrainian service, the Kyiv Post portal reported.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) announced on Thursday that it had broken down a 14-member spy network that would have collected information about the airfields where the F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft provided to Ukraine by Western allies. The group would have worked for the Russian military intelligence service GRU, and the tight data could be used by Moscow to prepare attacks on Ukrainian air bases.
In Ukraine, a network of Russian game agents who hunted F-16s and Mirage 2000SBU neutralized Russian intelligence agent network of 14 people who collected data on Ukrainian airbases. The enemy planned use this information for missile strikes on F-16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft.
The commander of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' air squadrons also leaked intelligence to the Russians. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has neutralized a large-scale intelligence network belonging to the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). The perpetrators were preparing strikes against airfields where F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighters are based, according to RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from the SBU. The operation to neutraliz…
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