The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) counterintelligence has exposed an enemy informant in Lviv who was gathering data on the locations of Ukraine’s Defense Forces. According to the case materials, the information could have been used by the adversary to plan missile strikes on identified sites.
Investigators say the suspect is a 21-year-old local resident. The inquiry found that he struggled with gambling addiction and was looking for “easy money” through Telegram channels to repay debts caused by азартні games.
It was in the messenger that an enemy handler contacted him and offered paid cooperation. The suspect agreed to carry out assigned tasks in exchange for money.
SBU officers detained the man at his place of residence. The investigation established that he walked around the regional center and nearby areas, using a mobile application to record coordinates of locations where Defense Forces personnel were concentrated.
In addition, the suspect attempted to identify:
- military units;
- other restricted facilities;
- sites that could be viewed by the enemy as potential targets.
He stored the collected data on his smartphone as photos of buildings with attached coordinates.
SBU investigators served him with a notice of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorized dissemination of information about the location of the Armed Forces under martial law). The suspect is currently in custody without the right to bail. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in prison.
The operation was carried out by the SBU in the Lviv region jointly with the State Border Guard Service, under the procedural supervision of the regional prosecutor’s office.