SBU detains Moscow-linked priest planning attacks on Ukrainian troop trains

Source: Ukraine’s Security Service

Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said on Thursday it  has prevented a “series of planned airstrikes” on railway facilities in Kharkiv Oblast. Among those detained is a priest from the Moscow-affiliated Ukrainian Orthodox Church who had been recruited as a spy by Russian GRU operatives.

During a special operation, the SBU unearthed a spy network of the Russian General Staff’s Main Directorate (GRU), which helped to pinpoint Russian forces’ attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

Key figures detained include two GRU agents who were preparing to target Ukrainian Armed Forces  trains transporting troops, equipment, and ammunition to the front lines.

The main suspect is a Kharkiv priest of Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The man whose name remains undisclosed was recruited by a GRU officer before the Feb.24 invasion; he ordered the priest  to “gather information” on the schedules and routes of the trains transporting Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region.

The priest got the access to the state rail operator records through his acquaintance, who worked at  the local branch of Ukrzaliznytsya in Kharkiv.  The priest sent the obtained information to  his handler via an anonymous messenger chat, using encryption symbols for secrecy,

Uncovering the plot helped the SBU to prevent the planned strikes. Both suspects were arrested in their homes, and searches revealed mobile phones and SIM cards with evidence of their espionage activities.

The suspects facing espionage charges under Art.114 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in prison.