A former high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence official has been sentenced to life in prison for espionage on behalf of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). Colonel Dmytro Kozyura, formerly the chief of staff of the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) anti-terrorism centre, was convicted of high treason under martial law.
Prosecutors stated that Kozyura agreed to share classified information constituting state secrets in exchange for financial rewards. The SBU reported that he used a safehouse in Kyiv to communicate with Russian handlers who were seeking intelligence on Ukraine's military and leadership.
According to a statement from the Prosecutor General's office, Kozyura had been recruited by the FSB in Vienna in 2018. His handlers resumed contact in December 2024 and tasked him with gathering information on the deployment and movement of Russian armed forces, as well as details concerning Ukraine's weapons, infrastructure, and political and military leadership. His activities reportedly included spying on SBU command posts and systematically reporting on the consequences of Russian strikes, including casualty figures.
Kozyura was arrested in February 2025. The SBU stated that officials monitored his movements and discovered he communicated with a Russian operative, identified as Yuriy Shatalov, using a separate mobile phone and Wi-Fi router from a safehouse. He was found guilty of high treason under martial law and illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives by the Shevchenkivskyy District Court in Kyiv.
Ukraine has announced multiple operations to expose alleged Russian agents operating within the country since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The SBU claimed that prior to Kozyura's arrest, they used him to disseminate disinformation to Russian forces while preventing him from accessing critical intelligence.