The Russian agent who directed «Smerch» to Kharkiv was sentenced to 15 years

Condemned. Photo: Prosecutor's Office

A resident of Kharkiv, who helped the Russian Federation during 2022, was sentenced to 15 years.

This is reported by the SSU and the Office of the Prosecutor General.

According to the special service, the man secretly recorded the locations and movements of the Defense Forces while walking around Kharkiv. The agent passed these data on to his old acquaintance, who moved to Russia after 2014, received Russian citizenship, and on February 25, 2022, joined the ranks of the Rys special rapid response unit of the Federal Service of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, whose main task was fighting for Kharkiv.

According to the SBU, the intelligence was needed by the Russians to carry out massive strikes on Kharkiv using the Uragan and Smerch rocket systems.

The Kharkiv native collected and passed on information to his friend about the facilities where the Armed Forces of Ukraine are stationed and the locations of missile strikes on the city during 2022. The convict also prepared information for his friend about officials of military educational institutions in the city as «candidates» for recruitment by the Russian special services.

The convict systematically deleted correspondence in the messenger with his friend. It was possible to expose the man a year ago, in June 2023. During the search of the Kharkiv resident's apartment, they found about half a thousand rounds of ammunition that he illegally purchased and stored.

Correspondence of the convict. Photo: Prosecutor's Office

Correspondence of the convict. Photo: Prosecutor's Office

At the trial, the man fully admitted his guilt. He was waiting for the verdict while in custody.

On the basis of the collected evidence, the court found the man guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111 (treason committed by a group of persons following a prior conspiracy), Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 111 (treason committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons under martial law) and Part 1 of Article 263 (illegal acquisition and storage of ammunition). The court sentenced him to 15 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property.

We will remind how the SSU exposed an alleged collaborator from Kupiansk, who after the deoccupation of the city got a job as a school teacher in Kyiv.