Kyyiv: A high-ranking official within Ukraine’s intelligence service has been arrested on charges of espionage for Russia, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
The detained individual, reportedly a senior figure in the SBU’s Anti-Terrorist Center, was taken into custody on Wednesday morning in an operation personally overseen by SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk.
The operation, dubbed "Rat," was carried out with the knowledge of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While Ukrainian authorities have not officially disclosed the suspect’s identity, local media have identified him as Colonel Dmytro Kozyura.
In a statement on Telegram, the SBU revealed that the suspect had held his current position since 2016 and had been secretly collaborating with Russian intelligence. The arrest followed an extensive investigation involving audio and video surveillance, as well as access to his electronic devices.
Lieutenant General Malyuk stated that the accused had transmitted classified information to Russian handlers on at least 14 occasions.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian security forces have conducted multiple counterintelligence operations, resulting in the detention of hundreds of individuals suspected of working with Moscow.
