Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has exposed 207 Russian operatives since the start of the Russian invasion, 52 of whom were active members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Courts have sentenced 44 of those convicted to between 12 and 15 years in prison, according to the agency.
Among the most serious cases involved a former commander in Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, who was arrested in 2024 with encrypted devices tied to a Russian intelligence officer after leaking warfare plans to Moscow.
З початку повномасштабної війни СБУ викрила 52 військовослужбовців Сил оборони, які були російськими агентами
➡️ https://t.co/9Sxm1ehdpf pic.twitter.com/2sa63vWQwW
— СБ України (@ServiceSsu) August 15, 2025
Russian Spy Networks Disrupted
This year, the SBU has already disrupted several Russian intelligence operations across Ukraine. In July, the SBU arrested a Russian Federal Security Service agent in Kharkiv who was plotting to bomb a power substation supplying a frontline district.
The suspect, a children’s entertainer recruited online, was caught assembling a homemade explosive after earlier tracking troop movements near children’s holiday events as a test mission. He faces life in prison on treason charges.
On August 11, the SBU arrested a 38-year-old woman in the Lviv region for spying on military airfields. Recruited via Telegram, she was caught planting a hidden camera to track helicopter movements and now faces up to eight years in prison.
On August 13, counterintelligence officers uncovered an agent network in Zaporizhzhia linked to Russia’s military intelligence and coordinated by a local Orthodox priest. The group allegedly scouted Ukrainian military positions and directed Russian strikes.
The following day, the SBU dismantled a Russian Federal Security Service network in the Odessa region that was preparing missile strikes on defense sites.
Four suspects, including the ringleader — a martial arts school security guard — were arrested for passing coordinates of weapons depots and air defense units to Russia and could face life in prison for treason.
Wider Counterintelligence Efforts
Beyond espionage cases, the SBU said it has prevented the theft of more than 44 billion Ukrainian hryvnias ($1 billion) in the defense sector, stopped 114 draft-dodging schemes, and intercepted 222 cases of illegal arms trafficking.
The agency also plays a combat role, reporting the destruction of 219 Russian tanks, 358 armored vehicles, 318 artillery systems, and 73 electronic warfare systems since 2022.
“The SBU continues its work to protect Ukraine’s national security and is taking comprehensive measures to bring all those responsible to justice,” the government said.
