SBU Brings Charges Against 200 People Suspected of Spreading Information About Work of Air Defence and Other Defence Forces

According to the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), more than 200 people involved in illegally spreading information about the Defence Forces of Ukraine have been served with notices of charges since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion.

In fact, these individuals helped the enemy prepare, carry out and spot airstrikes on our territory, including the use of cruise missiles and kamikaze drones.

The charges were brought under Article 114-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorised dissemination of information about the deployment, movement of weapons, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, or other military formations).

Indictments against 190 defendants have been sent to court. Perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison.

According to the investigation data, in most cases, citizens purposefully gave the aggressor information about the locations and movements of units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, and the National Guard.

First of all, the enemy was interested in the coordinates of temporary deployment points, movement routes, and fortifications of the Ukrainian defenders. The Russians also tried to identify the firing positions of Ukrainian artillery and air defence systems.

For example, at the end of May of this year, SBU officers detained an informant of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation (better known as the GRU) in the Donetsk region. The defendant tried to covertly record the movement of Ukrainian military convoys crossing the Siverskyi Donets River in the direction of Bakhmut.

In addition, officers of the Security Service of Ukraine quickly established the identities of six residents of the capital, who illegally disseminated information about the work of air defence forces during the massive Russian attack on Kyiv on the night of 16 May.

Four defendants were served with notices of charges of committing a crime. The indictments against two of them were sent to court. Regarding others, the investigation is ongoing.

The Security Service of Ukraine once again points to the ban on recording and publishing videos and photos about the activities of the defence forces and the consequences of Russian shelling.

The dissemination (intentional or unintentional) is regarded as enemy fire spotting and is a crime punishable by law.

Natalia Tolub