Russian security forces swoop on Crimean man accused of using secret radio gear to spy on military jets & pass info to Ukraine

Russia's FSB state security agency announced on Thursday that it had detained a resident of Crimea, accusing him of passing confidential information about Moscow's air force to Kiev in what it described as a threat to the nation.

In a statement, officials said that the man, a Russian citizen living in the city of Simferopol, had been “acting in the interests of the intelligence services of Ukraine.”

According to the press service, he had been “using a special antenna and receiving equipment for a long time to pick up information on Russian military flights on the instructions of Ukraine.”

The FSB adds that “the obtained information was intended to be used against the security of the Russian Federation.” Reports say the suspect was in possession of the equipment, flight maps and a Ukrainian flag banner.

Authorities have now begun a criminal case against the man on grounds of high treason, and footage released later on Thursday showed him being escorted to a court hearing.

In April, Russian security services announced they were holding Alexander Sosonyuk, Ukraine's consul in St. Petersburg, on spying charges. Officers said they detained him during “a meeting with a Russian citizen, during which he received secret information from law enforcement and FSB databases.”

“Such activity is incompatible with the status of a diplomatic worker and is openly hostile toward Russia. The foreign diplomat will be subjected to measures applied under international law,” the FSB added. Sosonyuk was later expelled from the country.

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