Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has uncovered and arrested a high-ranking Ukrainian officer allegedly working as a Russian mole, the SBU reported via its Telegram channel on Nov. 15.

According to the report, the officer, the commander of a unit in Special Operations Forces, had been transmitting critical military intelligence to Russian troops.

The leaked information included sensitive details about sabotage and reconnaissance missions conducted by Ukrainian special forces in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts and Russian-occupied Crimea.

Russian forces were reportedly using this intelligence to target Ukrainian Defense Forces stationed at the front lines and in occupied areas of southern Ukraine.

The officer, whose identity was not revealed, has been arrested and is currently in custody.

He faces charges of treason and espionage, which carry severe penalties, including life imprisonment and asset forfeiture upon conviction.

The suspect was recruited by the Russian military intelligence agency (GRU) before Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, and started receiving tasks in the spring of 2024, according to the SBU.

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The command of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces confirmed the detention of the commander and said they had been aware of the investigative actions regarding this serviceman and “fully facilitated their implementation.”

“While special forces operators perform combat missions behind enemy lines in temporarily occupied territories, unfortunately, there are those who try to interfere from the inside,” the command added.

“Special forces continue to fulfill tasks, destroy the enemy, and liberate Ukrainian land from the occupiers. And all those who think that they can interfere with this and put the lives of our soldiers in danger will be exposed and sent behind bars.”

This is not the first time the SBU has uncovered Russian infiltration within Ukrainian ranks.

On Aug. 14, it uncovered a Russian intelligence cell that included two former members of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych's security detail and an active member of Ukraine's National Guard.

Similarly, on Aug. 27, it arrested another individual in Kharkiv who was passing information to Russian forces about the city’s air defense systems and the positions of Ukrainian troops and fortifications.

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The Center for Public Advocacy denied information about the invasion of the village of Hremyach in Chernihiv region by Russian troops. Only a Russian flag on a destroyed bridge was found on the border, and there is no real threat of invasion.

There is no threat of Russian military invasion of Chernihiv region, and the story about the village of Hremyach is an enemy information operation. However, there is a limited threat of sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

This was reported by the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, UNN reports .

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On the information about the “entry of the DRG into the village of Hremyach, Chernihiv region” with Russian flags. First of all, the Russians did not even cross the destroyed bridge from the border, so the information is a lie from the beginning. Secondly, I would just like to remind you that in June, a very similar story happened in Ryzhivka, Sumy region. Someone appeared somewhere, took down the flag and fled. There is no threat of invasion of Chernihiv region. There is only a limited threat from the DRG

– Kovalenko said.

According to him, the information about the DRG's entry into the village is false and is exclusively an enemy information operation.

Recall

Ukrainian defenders in the Chernihiv region discovered a Russian tricolor that was installed near the border on a destroyed bridge across the Sudist River.

The statement by Russian propagandists that the DRG entered the town of Hremyach is not true. They did not cross the bridge.

Editor's note: This story is being updated as more details emerge.

State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that a Russian sabotage group planted a Russian flag near the border in Ukraine's Chernihiv Oblast, but said that the event occurred in the grey zone and Russian troops did not launch a major offensive in the region.

Demchenko's statement comes on Nov. 15 after Russian military bloggers posted videos purportedly showing Russian troops planting a flag on the bridge over the Sudost River near the border settlement of Hremiach and claimed they entered Hremiach and Muravi. Demchenko denied that Russian forces entered the settlements and said that they did not cross the bridge.

"The territory where the (Russian) sabotage group operated from the border is actually cut off by rivers, and no one lives in the settlements located between the rivers and the border. In addition, due to the constant flooding of that territory, it is not possible to build proper fortifications there," Demchenko said in a comment.

"Ukraine's defense forces fully control this axis and are in the most advantageous positions to hold the defense."

One person died and 10 were injured in the russian attack on Odesa. Local authorities have set up aid centers to help the victims and organized medical and legal support.

One person was killed and 10 others were injured in yesterday's russian attack in Odesa. This was reported by the deputy head of the Odesa regional state administration, Oleksandr Kharlov, on the air of the "United News" marathon, UNN reports.

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He added that the victims received the necessary medical care.

Only one person is in serious condition in the hospital. Doctors are providing her with the necessary medical care

– he said.

With the assistance of the city and regional authorities, headquarters have been set up in the city. People are being provided with assistance in the form of food, warm clothing and legal services for further compensation, he said.

Recall

According to the head of the Odesa regional state administration, Oleh Kiper, the enemy has been terrorizing Odesa with mixed shelling for more than a week.