The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) detained a Russian national who spied for Moscow’s intelligence while serving in Ukraine’s military, the SBU said on Oct. 7.

The man, detained in the western city of Lviv, is suspected of helping Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) coordinate strikes on his unit’s temporary base and nearby positions in Lviv Oblast.

According to the SBU, the detainee was also transmitting geolocations of armored convoys, transit depots, and vehicle parks near Ukraine’s border regions to his Russian handler through anonymous chat apps.

Lviv Oblast lies at Ukraine’s border with Poland and is a key junction of Western military aid flowing into the country. The region was hit by a massive combined drone and missile attack overnight on Oct. 5.

The suspect, who joined the Ukrainian military “under the guise of a volunteer,” was detained with the assistance of Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, the SBU noted.

Ukraine’s Lviv Oblast (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)

Ukrainain authorities reportedly detained the suspect while he was heading to an ATM to receive payments from Russia.

The detainee began spying for Russia after joining Ukrainian forces, the SBU said, without specifying his unit. He is believed to have been recruited through his brother, who resides in Russia.

A number of Russian citizens have joined Ukraine’s forces in the face of Moscow’s aggression.

Units made up of Russian nationals and fighting on Ukraine’s side, like the Russian Volunteer Corps or the Siberian Battalion, gained prominence after incursions into western Russia in 2023 and 2024.

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