Kathrine Frich
Many recruits say they were driven by poverty, while officials warn that Russia is pouring resources into destabilising Ukraine from within.
As the war enters its fourth year, Ukraine’s intelligence agencies are confronting a growing network of citizens drawn into espionage for Moscow.
A Politico report, cited by Digi24 and Agerpres, examines how thousands became caught in what Kyiv now calls a national security crisis.
Crimes and motives
Olena, 19, and Bohdan, 22, were brought into a detention room in handcuffs, smiling briefly at each other after a month apart.
Politico described how the pair await trial for treason, accused by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) of tracking Western arms movements and attempting to reveal air-defence positions near Kyiv and Chernihiv.
The SBU says their case is far from unique.
Since February 2022, investigators have opened more than 24,000 files related to threats against national security and over 4,100 treason cases, with 2,300 already before the courts.
Both young defendants told investigators they cooperated for money, hoping for a 15-year sentence rather than life imprisonment.
They were not publicly identified by surname.
According to the SBU, Russian handlers typically offer varying fees depending on the assignment, though payment is never guaranteed.
The recruitment path
Olena told Politico she answered an ad on a Telegram channel called Jobs in Kyiv. “The ad promised easy money,” she said.
Bohdan added that constant financial strain pushed them into taking the risk. At first, their tasks were minor: checking store hours, taking photos of shelves and price tags.
But missions soon escalated.
They were ordered to place cameras near a police station, then along a railway used for transporting Western weapons.
Their final task involved trying to locate air-defence positions in the Kyiv region.
Bohdan said he realised early that they were working for Russia but continued out of fear. “Those guys wouldn’t let you give up that easily,” Olena said.
The sums involved were small, between 400 and 3,000 hryvnias (8–62 euros), the SBU said.
The kremlin game
SBU officials told Politico that Russian services are investing heavily in covert operations aimed at eroding Ukraine’s stability.
The State Bureau of Investigation has launched 1,500 treason cases against officials, judges, soldiers and police since 2022.
Human-rights groups caution that not all accused collaborators acted willingly.
Hanna Rassamakhina of the Media Initiative for Human Rights said many residents of occupied territories are forced into contact with Russian authorities simply to survive.
Legal representation also plays a role.
“A professional lawyer is often enough to destroy the accusation,” she said, noting that many defendants cannot afford one and accept plea deals instead.
Olena and Bohdan expect years apart.
They spoke of reuniting after their sentences, though Bohdan rejected the idea of swapping prison for front-line service.
“People don’t come back from there… And I don’t want to waste my life in vain,” he said.
