Reconnaissance Operation Undercover: SBU Exposes a Young Female Agent in Zhytomyr Region Who Was Gathering Intelligence for Russia
A casual walk or a carefully planned intelligence mission? Recently, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) identified and detained a 22-year-old resident of Korosten city, who at first glance appeared to be an ordinary young mother. However, behind the guise of a regular leisure activity, she was actually engaged in a spy operation in favor of Russian occupiers, aimed at collecting intelligence necessary for planning enemy missile and drone strikes on the Zhytomyr region. According to the SBU press center, the detained agent used a completely typical scenario: she pretended to go for a walk with her child, supposedly to take the baby to a local kindergarten. In reality, she was scouting strategic objects and locations that could be used by Russians to target their attacks. The woman was photographing territories that potentially could contain Ukrainian defenders or important military infrastructure. To maintain her cover and avoid suspicion, the suspect carefully selected times and places so as not to attract the attention of residents or law enforcement. Investigations revealed that she was also studying possible movement routes of Ukrainian military units and freight trains — hoping to record convoys with military equipment moving along the region’s railway infrastructure. The information she gathered could have significantly assisted the enemy in identifying targets for missile and drone attacks, jeopardizing not only Ukrainian military personnel but also civilians in Zhytomyr region. The arrest of the young spy resulted from a joint special operation by the security services, which aimed to prevent Russian agents from infiltrating rear and critical infrastructure sites. During searches of her residence, law enforcement officials seized a mobile device on which evidence of cooperation with the Russian side was found. Intercepted Telegram messages revealed that the detained woman herself reached out to the Russian enemy seeking side jobs, thereby opening the way for possible recruitment and the dissemination of secret information. It is known that a criminal case has already been initiated under the article “State Treason.” The woman faces life imprisonment — one of the harshest preventive measures in Ukrainian law for treason against the state. Following her detention, she was officially informed of suspicion of treason and aiding the enemy. Investigative actions are ongoing to establish the full scope of her role in this reconnaissance operation and to examine any possible cooperation with the FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service, which actively works on recruiting agents in occupied and temporarily uncontrolled territories. Ukrainian security officials emphasize that this case is a vivid example of security work aimed at exposing enemy agents and preventing potential large-scale attacks. At the same time, the SBU urges citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious contacts or circumstances that might indicate enemy collaboration. Ukraine continues to actively implement measures to prevent infiltration by foreign sabotage groups, as each such case is another step toward victory and the restoration of peace.