In Mykolaiv region, a Russian agent, under the guidance of a "volunteer," was searching for F-16 fighter jets.

The Security Service of Ukraine has neutralized a large-scale intelligence network of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia. The perpetrators were spying on the Defense Forces across five regions of Ukraine.

This was reported by the SBU press service.

As a result of the special operation, 12 Russian agents and their informants were uncovered. Some of them are deserters who had left the Ukrainian Armed Forces and were recruited by Russian intelligence while evading justice.

The members of the hostile cell operated independently and reported to a resident (the leader of the intelligence group) located in the Dnipropetrovsk region. For secrecy, he used fake "cover documents," such as counterfeit identification cards for "volunteers" and "anti-corruption activists."

He recruited accomplices from Zaporizhzhia, as well as Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.

In these areas, the individuals gathered intelligence on the positions of Ukrainian air defense and attempted to identify the locations of secret military airfields, where, according to the Russians, F-16 aircraft might be stationed.

“One specific task for the agents was to establish the addresses of companies involved in the production of electronic warfare systems against Russian drones.

To obtain intelligence, the operatives secretly used their acquaintances, including Ukrainian military personnel in frontline regions.

After gathering preliminary data, the agents would go to the field for additional reconnaissance near potential targets.

Initially, the members of the intelligence group reported to the resident, who then relayed the information to his Russian supervisor,” the statement said.

The SBU uncovered the entire hostile cell, apprehended the organizer, and announced suspicions against his key accomplices. Currently, the issue of announcing suspicions against other network participants is being addressed.

During searches, mobile phones, flash drives, military documents, and counterfeit identification cards were seized from them.

SBU investigators informed the detainees of the suspicion of committing crimes under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

Part 2 of Article 111 (high treason committed under martial law);
Part 2 of Article 114-2 (unauthorized dissemination of information regarding the movement, relocation, or position of the Armed Forces of Ukraine).

Comprehensive measures are being undertaken to hold other participants of the Russian intelligence network accountable. The perpetrators face prison sentences ranging from 8 years to life imprisonment, along with asset confiscation.

These comprehensive operations were conducted by SBU officers in collaboration with investigators from the Dnipropetrovsk SBU department under the procedural guidance of the Dnipro Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the defense sector of the Eastern region.