An alleged Ukrainian intelligence asset has been arrested in Crimea after performing a courier task for Kiev, Russia's FSB security agency claimed on Tuesday.
The statement, which described the suspect’s contribution to Ukrainian war effort against Russia as limited, alleges that the 51-year old Russian citizen picked up several SIM cards from a cache and later hid some of them on orders of the Ukrainian security service, the SBU. He allegedly retained others, keeping them at his home in the regional capital of Simferopol.
FSB footage of the suspect's home appeared to show strong sympathies for Kiev and Ukrainian nationalism, including a national trident symbol, a book on militants in the Carpathian Mountains and a faux-German military helmet with a Nazi flag adorning its side.
According to an interview the suspect gave with law enforcement, the SBU first contacted him in 2022 and he became activated in the autumn of 2023. He was compensated for his efforts with roughly $40 deposited on his bank account. The money was supposed to cover his travel expenses for a trip to the town of Bakhchisaray some 30 km away, where he hid the SIM cards.
The FSB also showed what appeared to be a personal diary, which mentioned going “on my first mission.” If convicted of the charge, he faces a jail term of between three and eight years, according to the FSB.