Security Service of Ukraine detained in Kharkiv an official from Ukrenergo who was providing Russians with data on the location of crucial power stations in five regions of Ukraine.

The areas involved are Kharkiv, Sumy, Poltava, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the spokesman for the Kharkiv regional office of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vladyslav Abdula, said.

“The aggressor needed the intelligence to prepare new and repeated air strikes on power plants to cut off power to 5 regions of Ukraine completely,” Abdula said.

The spokesperson also noted that the suspect informed the Russians about the power facilities’ approximate voltage and the damage level after the attacks.

The man was detained in Kharkiv while performing an FSB intelligence task. The suspect is an official of a regional branch of Ukrenergo – the SSU says he headed a group to optimize and calculate electricity losses.

According to the security service, the Russian special service recruited the Ukrenergo employee long before the outbreak of a full-scale war:

“After 24 February 2022, the Russian Federal Security Service ‘activated’ its agent and assigned him to conduct intelligence and subversive activities against Ukraine. They used previously worked out closed electronic communication channels for communication,” the statement said.

The suspect passed the information to the Russians through a “liaison officer” in the temporarily occupied Horlivka – the Prosecutor General’s Office adds that it was a former colleague of the Kharkiv resident.

“After receiving the necessary data on Ukrainian nuclear power plants, thermal power plants and combined heat and power plants, the resident of Horlivka passed it on to representatives of the Russian Federation,” the statement said.

The detainee was notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law).

The man was taken into custody without the right to be released on bail and faces life imprisonment.

See also

  • ‘People’s Police’ officer from Balakliia to be imprisoned for 12 years. The occupiers did not entrust the collaborator with much: he mainly guarded administrative buildings.
  • Assisted in smuggling Ukrainian grain to Russia: man to be tried in Kharkiv. The Kupiansk bakery plant chief engineer cooperated with the Russian invaders during the city’s occupation.