Ukraine Catches Russian Mole Inside of its Sea Drone Program
The Security Service of Ukraine, the nation's main counterintelligence division, has arrested a servicemember who was allegedly planning to pass information on Ukrainian sea drone operating locations to Russia for use in targeting.
Ukraine's drone forces have played a major role in the war, securing maritime lines of communication in the Black Sea by driving Russian naval assets out of range. Facing a real risk of damage or loss, the subs and surface combatants of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have withdrawn to the relative safety of Novorossiysk, in the far northeastern corner of the sea - too far away to be a threat to Ukraine's sea lanes. This has not fully eradicated the hazard to shipping - Russia still conducts regular drone strikes on Ukrainian civilian port infrastructure, occasionally damaging vessels and killing seafarers - but it has enabled the flow of commerce, including Ukrainian grain exports.
A comprehensive strike on Ukraine's sea drone operations would be a significant blow, and a win for Russia. According to the SSU, Russian intelligence had recruited a mole working inside the Ukrainian naval drone program - a servicemember who happened to have an acquaintance with ties to Russia. He was employed in the Navy's UAV division, and was gathering up coordinates of the Ukrainian facilities where the sea drones are stored and prepared, including both the "Sea Baby" and "Magura" models. He was also intending to hand over information on the routes that the drones use to reach Russian targets, the SSU claims.
The agency said that it documented the mole's activities in advance before intervening. Agents seized a phone in his possession which had been used to exchange messages with Russian intelligence. The phone also contained classified Ukrainian information, the SSU said.
At the same time as the bust, the Ukrainian armed forces took measures to increase security at the affected locations. The discovery and arrest of the mole prevented an airstrike on operating drone bases, the SSU said.
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The suspect is in detention and faces trial on charges of leaking information about Ukrainian military movements.