Court sentences participants of organized FSB agent group spying for Russia in Odesa – SBU
Based on the evidence base provided by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a court has found three Russian agents guilty, whom the SBU exposed in Odesa in July 2024.
"The court sentenced the head agent (resident) of the enemy cell to life imprisonment with confiscation of property. Meanwhile, two of his accomplices received 15 years in prison each, with confiscation of all property belonging to them," the SBU reported on its Telegram channel.
The investigation established that the convicted individuals are two mobilized men and their female acquaintance from Odesa, all recruited by Russia. On the instructions of the Russian intelligence service, they tracked and transmitted the geolocations of Ukrainian air defense systems protecting the city. To identify these coordinates, the agents traveled around the regional center and its adjacent districts by taxi. Upon discovering military facilities, the perpetrators covertly photographed them and marked the locations on Google Maps.
The agent group also tracked the situation at the Odesa seaport. For this purpose, they were supposed to covertly install magnetic cameras with remote access for Russian intelligence officers. For operational security, the Russian agents used separate mobile phones to coordinate their actions with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Additionally, their female accomplice disguised her appearance by constantly changing wigs while preparing for reconnaissance sorties.
SBU officers detained the resident of the agent group and his accomplice red-handed while they were photographing a military facility. The third member of the cell was detained in her home after she conducted additional reconnaissance near a potential target.
Based on SBU materials, the agents were found guilty under Part 2 of Article 111, Part 3 of Article 28, and Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (state treason committed by an organized group under martial law).
