The Security Service (SBU) did not name the two suspects, but identified them as a senior lobbyist in the Cabinet Secretariat and head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a business lobby. He said in a statement to the Telegram app that he was conducting a “special multi-stage operation” to thwart the alleged espionage ring. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “As a result: in Kyiv, the head of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers and the head of one of the directorates of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry were arrested,” the SBU reported. “These officials passed on a variety of intelligence information to the enemy: from the state of our defense capabilities to the state border arrangements and the personal data of Ukrainian law enforcement officers.” Russia did not immediately comment on the SBU statement. The two main suspects appeared to be sitting in front of a Ukrainian flag in a video, saying they had worked with Moscow, with which Ukraine has been at war since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24. It was not immediately clear if they spoke under pressure. The SBU said Russia paid suspects $ 2,000 to $ 15,000 per job, depending on the level of secrecy and the importance of the information. One of the men said in the video that he had received a total of $ 33,000 for his activities and the other said that he had received $ 27,000. One, codenamed “Kireev”, said he has been working since 2016. The other said he had done so since 2019. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Max Hunder, Edited by Timothy Heritage and Frank Jack Daniel Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
