You're reading: SBU says it detains three separatist informants

The Security Service of Ukraine said on March 29 that it detained three local residents in Donetsk Oblast who informed insurgents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic about location and number of Ukrainian troops in the region. They're all facing charges for “creation of a terrorist group or terrorist organization,” the SBU said in a statement.


The men were
detained in the towns of Hirnyk, Halitsyvka and Orlivka in Donetsk
region in the past 24 hours, the SBU
said.

It also
released a video recording of confessions by the three men who talked
about their activities. One of them, born in 1984, said he was
recruited in June 2014 by “one of the heads of intelligence of the
DPR because I have special subversive and sniper training.” He said
he was creating and training subversive groups before sending them on
assignments to the territory of Ukraine controlled by the central
government to conduct special operations.

Another man,
born in 1974, said he was also recruited in June, and was passing
intelligence on the movement of Ukrainian troops stationed around the
town of Hirnyak by phone.

The third
man, born in 1952, was recruited in September. His job was also to
inform the insurgents about dislocation of the Ukrainian troops in
Yasynuvata district of Dnipropetrovsk region.

The three men
may be facing between eight and 15 years in jail, according to
Ukraine’s criminal code.