UKRAINE, KHARKIV REGION, May 17 — The SBU military counter-intelligence detained and served a notice of suspicion to a resident of the Kharkiv region accused of preparing a series of missile and bomb attacks on the military positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces defending the region from a new Russian offensive. Vladyslav Abdula, a spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), wrote about the detention on his Facebook. 

Abdulla says that the main targets were the locations of radar stations and air defense missile systems. The suspect allegedly collected information on the location of the positions so that Russia could hit them.

The SBU detained the man in his home and took the equipment he reportedly used.

According to the investigation, the suspect is 30 years old. He is from one of the villages in the Kharkiv district. Russian agents reportedly recruited him at the end of 2023. 

If found guilty, he faces life imprisonment for high treason committed under martial law.

In total, since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,000 people in the Kharkiv Oblast have received a notice of suspicion in proceedings over treason, collaboration, and dissemination of information about the movement of the Armed Forces.

Editor’s Note: Under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, to issue a notice of suspicion (or to notify about suspicion) means to inform a person they are a suspect in an investigation, in person (with a document), remotely (via phone call), or in absentia. The notice of suspicion doesn’t mean the person is guilty; guilt can only be established by a court after investigations and hearings. 

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