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Ukraine said it had stopped a Russian spy group collecting information about its F-16 fighter jets.
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The group wanted to know details about the airfields that F-16s might use, the group said.
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Ukraine said the group’s leader was arrested and other members charged.
Ukraine said it had disrupted a Russian spy ring that was gathering information about F-16 fighter jets it received from its Western allies.
Ukraine’s Security Service, or SBU, said Tuesday it had neutralized a network of Russian spies collecting information on military targets, including the F-16s.
According to the SBU, the group was tasked with discovering the locations of military airfields where F-16 fighter jets could be held, as well as the locations of Ukrainian air defense systems and companies that make electronic warfare systems to counter Russian drones. .
It said the group operated in five regions in Ukraine and was deployed by Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
It is not clear how much information, if any, the group was able to gather.
A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet above the sky at a secret location in Ukraine.AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
The SBU said its operation had exposed 12 Russian agents and their informants.
Some of them were deserters who left the Ukrainian army and were recruited by Russia while hiding from punishment, the report said, adding that they used their contacts, such as Ukrainian soldiers in frontline areas, to gather intelligence.
Ukrainian prosecutors said someone deceptively recruited three soldiers he knew by pretending to work for Ukrainian intelligence, Pravda reported.
The SBU said officers who received the information would then go to the area of ​​potential targets to gather additional intelligence.
According to Radio Free Europe, the group’s organizer was arrested and prominent members were indicted on charges of state treason and the unauthorized disclosure of military information on the movement and location of Ukrainian armed forces.
Other members of the group could also face charges, the report said.
The SBU said suspects could be sentenced to prison terms ranging from eight years to life, with their property confiscated.
The F-16s are the most powerful fighter jets in the Ukrainian arsenal, making them a major military and propaganda target for Russia.
Ukraine began receiving F-16s this summer, after repeated requests for the planes. Air warfare experts say the planes are a major boost to Ukrainian defense as they help protect cities and other targets from Russian drone and missile attacks.
Russia began targeting Ukrainian bases where F-16s could be held before the first ones arrived, but there are no reports of it successfully hitting bases while the jets were present.
Despite their perceived importance, experts say Ukraine is not receiving enough F-16s to make a big difference, and the country cannot use them to conduct raids or go on the offensive unless it gets more.
The F-16s given to Ukraine are also decades old — and are less powerful than Russia’s best fighter jets and the most advanced aircraft fielded by Ukraine’s allies.
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