Psychotherapist and deacon arrested in Ukraine

The suspects tried to gather information about the concentration points of Ukrainian military personnel and equipment in Kharkiv

Kharkov The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a psychotherapist and a deacon from the Kharkiv diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), who were spying on the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the orders of Russian intelligence services, Ukrinform reported.

The suspects tried to gather information about the concentration points of Ukrainian military personnel and equipment in Kharkiv. They also collected personal data of Ukrainian defenders, as well as their travel routes within the city.

The psychotherapist used his patients, including servicemen undergoing psychological rehabilitation after participating in combat operations, to gather intelligence.

He enlisted the help of a close acquaintance, a deacon from the Kharkiv diocese, who discreetly tried to obtain information from parishioners. The deacon then passed the information on to the psychotherapist, who compiled the reports and sent them to his Russian courier via messaging apps.

To communicate with the FSB, the agent used a separate phone and SIM card, which he hid in his mailbox.

According to the SSU counterintelligence officers, the detained doctor had been a “sleeper agent” of the FSB for some time. In the spring of 2024, the Russian intelligence service activated him to carry out subversive activities in Kharkiv.

During the searches, mobile phones and computer equipment containing evidence of cooperation with the Russian intelligence service were seized from the detainee.

The two were held in custody without the right to be released on bail. They face a life sentence with confiscation of property.

Illustrative Photo by Matti Karstedt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/child-holding-a-placard-11284548/

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