SSU claims to have exposed an agent network that collected data on F-16 and Mirage fighters

Military counterintelligence of the SSU exposed an agent network of the Russian GRU, through which information was collected about Ukrainian military airfields. According to the investigation, the obtained information could have been used to prepare strikes on airbases where F-16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft are located.

The SSU reported that the network included 14 people from different regions of Ukraine. Law enforcement officers name a resident of Lviv as its organizer, who administered a Telegram channel about military aviation.

According to the investigation, Russian intelligence took notice of the Lviv resident after he began publishing photographs of Ukrainian combat aircraft in pro-Kremlin chats. Later, the man allegedly involved 13 subscribers of his channel in collecting information without informing them of the true purpose.

The people involved in filming had professional photographic equipment and lived near aviation infrastructure facilities. According to the SSU, they photographed airfields, military aircraft, crews and technical personnel, and also recorded the times of takeoffs and landings. The photographs were uploaded to an online storage that the network organizer had access to.

The investigation believes that he passed the collected materials to a Russian handler. In addition, the suspect received schedules of takeoffs and landings of combat helicopters from the commander of one of the aviation squadrons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The SBU claims that the serviceman provided this information on his own initiative.

During searches, law enforcement officers seized smartphones and digital photographic equipment with images of aviation facilities. The SSU also blocked four channels and ten thematic groups on Telegram where photographs and other data about aviation units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were distributed.

The detained organizer, his accomplice, and the serviceman were notified of suspicion of committing crimes against the foundations of national security. The investigation is ongoing, and the final assessment of the actions of the suspects must be given by the court.

Source: SSU