The SBU detained an agent who directed strikes on Kyiv following the attack
The Security Service of Ukraine has detained an 18-year-old Kyiv resident suspected of working for Russian intelligence services and coordinating one of the massive attacks on Kyiv on May 24. According to the investigation, after the shelling, he gathered information about the damage caused by the strikes and targets near the Ministry of Defense in order to pass it on to the enemy, reports.
The SBU’s counterintelligence unit reported the suspect’s detention the very next day after the massive shelling of the capital—operatives refer to this as “hot pursuit.”
According to investigators, the man came to the attention of Russian intelligence services while looking for quick money on Telegram channels, after which he was recruited and began receiving assignments remotely. As law enforcement established, the agent initially received so-called “test” assignments—he would travel to the suburbs of Kyiv and mark routes on Google Maps along which Ukrainian military equipment was moving.
After that, he was assigned a more sensitive task—to document the aftermath of a combined attack on the capital and gather information about the damage.
The SBU documented how the suspect arrived at one of the Ministry of Defense facilities to assess its condition following a nighttime shelling and gather data for subsequent transmission to his handler in Russia. According to the investigation, he was required to transmit the information in real time to facilitate the planning of new strikes on Kyiv.
During his arrest, a smartphone containing prepared intelligence reports was seized from the suspect; these reports included detailed descriptions of the consequences of the shelling and markings of the facilities. SBU investigators informed him of the charges under the article on high treason committed under martial law.
He was placed in pretrial detention, and the maximum penalty under the charged article is life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The operation was carried out by SBU officers in Kyiv and the surrounding region in cooperation with the prosecutor’s office, and it was part of a systematic effort to identify agents who may be assisting Russia in targeting Ukrainian cities.
In the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, a business center was hit following a massive nighttime attack by Russia. It is preliminarily known that people may be trapped inside the shelter.
As a result of Russia’s massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv, the shock wave damaged the ground-level lobby of the Lukyanivska metro station.
On the night of May 24, Russian forces carried out a massive combined attack on Kyiv, using ballistic missiles and strike drones. All districts of the capital came under fire.
On the night of May 24, Russian forces carried out a massive attack on the Kyiv region, using strike drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. The shelling resulted in casualties and damage across all districts of the region.
On May 23, Russian forces launched a second strike on Balakliya in the Kharkiv region. The attack damaged the “Light of the Gospel” church building, an apartment building, and private residential structures. The shelling sparked a fire that destroyed the church building.
