SBU detains 18-year-old suspected FSB agent in Kyiv over attempt to activate 148 Starlink terminals for Russia
The SBU reported that the terminals were intended to support the planning of Russian military operations in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian security officers say they prevented the devices from being activated.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has apprehended an 18-year-old man in Kyiv, accused of collaborating with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The suspect allegedly sought to register 148 Starlink terminals for Russian military use in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukrainian authorities claim they prevented the devices from being activated.
The young suspect, once a student at a Kyiv college studying to become a welder, reportedly turned to Telegram channels for quick money opportunities after completing his education. The FSB officer who approached him offered financial incentives for cooperation. Within days of joining the FSB, the suspect registered 15 Starlink terminals using relatives and acquaintances' personal details.
He then proceeded to gather information from others to register an additional 133 devices. The SBU detained the suspect near a post office where he was preparing to activate another batch of terminals. The 15 terminals previously registered, with details already transmitted to his Russian contact through a messaging app, were also disabled.
The suspect is currently held without bail and faces life imprisonment and property seizure if convicted. This case joins a series of incidents where Russia allegedly recruits Ukrainians for assignments on behalf of Moscow, including recent arrests of a 19-year-old in October for planning a bus bomb attack in Rivne and a suspected collaborator in Kyiv in October who allegedly enabled Russia to set up repeater stations for drones and collect intelligence on capital targets.
In August, the SBU also detained a suspect in Kharkiv Oblast who allegedly registered 27 Starlink terminals for Russian forces.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
