Detention of a top FSB operative: the SBU revealed details of a "historic special operation."

The Security Service of Ukraine has revealed details about the case involving the exposure of a "top rat" within its ranks who was working for the FSB. According to the SBU's statement, the activities of a network of Russian intelligence agents have now been halted.

"An unprecedented special operation was conducted to identify and detain the enemy agent, involving a complex combination of overt and covert measures. This operation was named 'Rat',” the special service reported.

As per the SBU's information, the traitor had been under investigation by the internal security staff of the SBU for an extended period.

"We effectively surrounded him from all sides, monitoring every move of the 'rat' around the clock – his contacts, communications, correspondence; we literally 'lived' in his phone, and he was constantly under audio and video surveillance. The neutralization of such a traitor is, without exaggeration, a historic special operation, considering the agent's level, his professional training, and the scale of harm he could have potentially inflicted on state security during the war," said SBU head Vasily Malyuk.

The report indicates that to prevent any harm to Ukraine's national security, the suspect was restricted from accessing truly important data. Meanwhile, through the traitor, the Security Service fed the enemy a significant volume of disinformation.

It is noted that the criminal case documentation contains 14 major episodes of illegal activity, but only a portion of these can be presented to the public due to legal constraints and to prevent the enemy from gaining additional information.

According to the investigation, the traitor was recruited by the FSB in 2018 in Vienna. For a certain period, he was "frozen" by his Russian handlers for security reasons and did not engage in active espionage. However, at the end of December last year, the FSB renewed contact with him, which was also under the operational control of the SBU's internal security staff.

The Main Directorate for Internal Security of the Security Service, along with the Main Investigative Directorate of the SBU, discovered a hidden communication channel between the spy and the enemy intelligence service, organized through a Ukrainian citizen who had previously fled to Russia. According to confirmed operational data, this individual was part of the so-called headquarters of Andrei Klyuev during the Revolution of Dignity, served as an assistant to one of the lawmakers from the now-banned Party of Regions, and actively participated in organizing the "Anti-Maidan."

Among other things, he personally transported cash from Moscow, which was later distributed to participants of paid rallies. This individual is expected to be charged with treason – both in complicity with the enemy agent and for separate episodes.

The SBU has also identified the FSB handler, Yuri Shatalov, who coordinated the activities of the agent network. To communicate with the resident of the enemy intelligence service, the 'rat' used a covert apartment in Kyiv. He received a special mobile phone, WiFi router, and SIM card, which he used to covertly transmit information collected for the FSB of the Russian Federation, including documents that constitute state secrets.

"Overall, the FSB tasked members of the agent network with gathering and transmitting information in the defense sector, with a particular focus on data regarding Ukraine's awareness of the enemy's troop movements and deployments at the front. The RF was also interested in confidential and service-related information about the armament of Ukrainian security and defense forces, the status of critical infrastructure facilities, the results of enemy missile strikes on targets in Ukraine, information about the highest military-political leadership of the state, the operation of state registries post-enemy cyberattack in December 2024, and other information that could be used for subversive activities against Ukraine," the SBU reported.

The investigation currently possesses numerous irrefutable pieces of evidence regarding the criminal activities of the individuals involved in the case. Among them are materials obtained through complex operational and technical measures, intercepted communications, transmitted information to the enemy, audio and video recordings, correspondence, and more.

The detained official has been informed of suspicion under Article 111 (treason) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

It is noteworthy that the detained SBU official worked for the enemy not only for ideological reasons but also for financial gain.

The SBU states that the materials of the criminal case also implicate close relatives of the traitor, particularly his father and mother, who justify Russian aggression, praise Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, and, judging by audio intercepts, are aware of their son's work for the FSB. The parents are expected to be charged under Article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification of aggression by the RF against Ukraine).

The case has been under the personal control of the SBU head.

Detention of a Top SBU Official - What We Know

As reported by UNIAN, today the SBU announced the exposure and detention of a top official who was working for the FSB. Sources within the special service informed UNIAN that the traitor turned out to be Colonel Dmitry Kozyura, the head of the Antiterrorist Center at the SBU.

The SBU informed that SBU head Vasily Malyuk personally participated in the operational-investigative group that was developing the traitor and led the operation to detain him. Malyuk reported directly to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, about all stages of the special operation. The head of the SBU also mentioned that disinformation was being transmitted to the enemy through the traitor for an extended period.