Two spies caught in Kropyvnytskyi snooping on Ukrainian troops
Source: Security Service of Ukraine
Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, said it has exposed a spy ring responsible for pinpointing Russian missile strikes in the Kirovohrad region. Among other things, the Russian-led agents gathered intelligence on local recruitment offices and oil depots.
Investigation found that Russian FSB had recruited a native of Kherson who fled to Kropyvnitskyi and a local man. Both of them were recruited by the FSB after they responded to a post on Telegram channel offering quick money.
They said yes to it and soon were tasked with monitoring the Ukrainian army positions, locations of local recruitment offices, oil depots, power plants, and bridges used by Ukrainian forces for transportation of military equipment to the front lines.
The spies sent the intelligence to their Russian handlers via messaging apps.
Ukrainian counterintelligence arrested the duo while they filming the burning railway equipment they set fire, which was part of ‘odd jobs’ they signed up to. The SBU charged the men with treason and sabotage, meaning they can face the possibility of life imprisonment and asset confiscation.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.
In recent days, Moscow’s official rhetoric has been dominated by hysteria over the decision of…
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.