Woman Sentenced for Guiding Russian Attacks in Ukraine

(Kyiv) – A Russian military intelligence agent has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Ukrainian court for her role in guiding missile and drone attacks on Zhytomyr Oblast. The 43-year-old woman, a displaced person from Donetsk Oblast, was arrested in August 2023 while attempting to flee to Russia. This conviction is part of Ukraine’s broader efforts to dismantle Russian espionage networks operating within the country.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported that the woman had been working for Russian military intelligence, or the GRU, using social media to connect with Russian operatives. She allegedly used her personal page on the Russian social network Odnoklassniki, which is banned in Ukraine, to communicate and support Russian activities, including praising the Wagner mercenary group and justifying its actions.

According to the SBU’s investigation, the woman relocated to Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and later rented accommodation in Zhytomyr Oblast. During her time there, she tried to gather sensitive military information, including the locations of repair bases for Ukrainian heavy artillery.

The court found the accused guilty of state treason under martial law and of glorifying Russian armed aggression. She had communicated information to her Russian handler using anonymous messaging apps and email, the SBU revealed.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the SBU has ramped up its operations to arrest Russian agents and expose espionage and sabotage networks. The convicted spy was one of many agents working to undermine Ukraine’s military efforts, with some operatives even setting Ukrainian soldiers’ cars on fire in exchange for rewards.

Timeline of Key Events in the Case

Rothschild Jobi

Armed with a Laptop and a cup of coffee, Rothschild is on a mission to conquer the news world, one headline at a time.