The Kharkiv court has found guilty a lieutenant colonel of the National Guard of Ukraine of high treason and sentenced him to 13 years in prison, the Security Service of Ukraine has reported.

The counterintelligence operatives of the special services established that the National Guard serviceman was recruited by representatives of the FSB of the Russian Federation in Moscow in September 2014 during an unauthorized visit to Russia, the SBU press center reported on Facebook on Friday.

"In accordance with the orders of the curators, he sent to Russia via one of the messengers and e-mail information containing state secrets, including data on the forces and means involved in conducting the anti-terrorist operation," it says.

"One of the district courts of Kharkiv found the man guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine [state treason] and appointed him a 13-year sentence with deprivation of military rank of Lieutenant-Colonel," the message reads.