SBU Detains Mother and Brother of Russian Agent for Tracking Defense Sites

The suspects are the mother and brother of a Russian agent whom the SBU exposed in June this year. Investigators found that the woman had recruited her relatives to cooperate with the enemy, and they subsequently helped her track the locations and technical condition of defense industry facilities that Russia was preparing to target in combined strikes. To do so, the suspects walked around the perimeters of restricted facilities and marked the locations of production workshops and logistics warehouses on Google Maps.

They also collected information about the locations and aftermath of Russian strikes to help plan new attacks or adjust subsequent strikes on the regional center. After the woman was exposed, her mother and brother initially went into hiding, but later contacted their Russian handler to continue the 'work' of the detained agent. SBU officers documented the intelligence and sabotage activities of her accomplices and detained them, the Ukrainian security service said. During searches, investigators seized mobile phones that the suspects had used to collect intelligence and coordinate their activities with the FSB.