Ukraine’s security service uncovers spy ring in Kherson

Source: Ukraine’s security service

Ukrainian Security Service, the SBU, said on Friday they have uncovered an FSB spy network in Kherson, taking down three operatives led by a Russian handler.

The investigation led to Oleksandr Kostin, a Russian official and “First Deputy Minister of Information Policy” in the occupied parts of Kherson. The fugitive collaborator hired two of his former subordinates who later recruited three Kherson residents. One of them was lying low after heof them had collaborated with Russian forces during the occupation in 2022  and went after the city’s liberation.

The men were ordered to spy on Ukrainian military positions—specifically air defense systems and the bases of the SBU, police, and prosecutor’s office. They also quietly followed regional military administration officials.

Scaling up their operations, the group set up a Telegram channel, posing as a pro-Russian “underground movement”, urging locals to share coordinates of Ukrainian defense forces and personal data on Ukrainian servicemen.

The SBU raids and searches allowed to seize the spies’ phones and computer equipment with incriminating evidence. The three suspects now face charges of treason and espionage, which could lead to life imprisonment and confiscation of property.

Kostin, still at large, has been charged in absentia for crimes against Ukraine’s territorial integrity. His two FSB accomplices face similar charges for treason committed by a group.