Ukraine’s security service has revealed that an undercover Ukrainian agent infiltrated Russia’s elite special forces, uncovering evidence of covert plots and war crimes.
The agent was planted within Russia’s Spetsnaz special operations forces, according to Artem Dekhtiarenko, spokesman for Ukraine’s SBU security service. Speaking at a press briefing Wednesday, Dekhtiarenko said the mole provided critical intelligence on the inner workings of the notorious Russian saboteurs.
“Thanks to him, the SBU obtained information about the participants, structure, and features of this organization,” Dekhtiarenko stated. “The agent helped document many crimes of the Russian special forces.”
The revelations come after Ukrainian investigators disclosed that deadly ammunition depot explosions in Ukraine’s Svatove in 2015 were the work of Russian Spetsnaz operatives.
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According to Dekhtiarenko, the SBU learned of the Spetsnaz connection after capturing a militant from the Luhansk People’s Republic, one of Russia’s proxy groups in eastern Ukraine. Under questioning, the militant revealed Russia’s special forces were behind the Svatove attack.
The SBU then sent in their undercover agent among the Spetsnaz ranks to gather further evidence.
Additionally, the mole helped tie the Spetsnaz to the so-called “honey pot” bombing in 2015, Dekhtiarenko said. In that incident, Ukrainian soldiers were killed when a rigged jar of honey exploded.
The agent also exposed a thwarted plot to detonate explosives at a Kyiv metro station in 2014. The SBU spokesman credited the operative with unmasking many such acts of sabotage and subversion.
Tragically, the Ukrainian mole ultimately perished while carrying out his high-risk intelligence mission within the elite Russian forces. But the SBU said the intelligence he uncovered was crucial, allowing Ukrainian and international authorities to document “many crimes” by the Spetsnaz squads.
The security service stated that, with the agent’s help, it has now identified all key commanders and operatives in the Russian special forces. The SBU, along with Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation, has officially notified these individuals that they are suspects in criminal proceedings.
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