Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said Thursday that it has detained a servicemember suspected of spying for both Russia and Belarus while serving in Ukraine’s drone forces.
The SBU said in a March 19 statement that the suspect was operating within a unit of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The SBU alleges that the individual passed information to Russian and Belarusian intelligence about the movement, types, and number of Ukrainian drones used in combat operations near Ukraine’s northeastern border.
The suspect later transferred to a unit operating ground robotic systems, where they are accused of collecting intelligence on the deployment and operational plans of Ukrainian forces on the Izium axis, the SBU said.
The city of Izium in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region endured six months of Russian occupation following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, during which time at least 440 people were killed and buried in mass graves. Bodies exhumed after Ukrainian troops liberated the area in September 2022 showed signs of torture and summary execution.
Russian forces continue to target the city with drones from behind the front line, roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) away.
The suspect is also accused of gathering data on the technical characteristics and use of Ukrainian robotic systems, according to the statement.
The SBU said the suspect was detained in the Kharkiv region after authorities documented his alleged activities.
Two mobile phones containing evidence were also seized during searches, they said.
Investigators have charged the suspect with high treason committed under martial law.
He is currently in custody without bail and faces a potential life sentence with confiscation of property if convicted.