Senior SBU Official Arrested for Alleged Espionage Ties to Russia

Col Dmytro Kozyura, the chief of staff at the anti-terrorism center, is accused of being a Russian informant.

A senior official in Ukraine's Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has been arrested on charges of espionage, suspected of acting as a Russian agent. The unnamed suspect, reportedly Col Dmytro Kozyura, served as the head of the SBU's anti-terrorism center. His arrest was confirmed by SBU Chief Vasyl Malyuk, who was seen handcuffing the detainee in a dramatic video shared by local media.

The SBU's investigation revealed at least 14 instances in which Kozyura allegedly collected sensitive information and transmitted it to Russian authorities. The agency utilized extensive surveillance techniques, including audio and video monitoring, and secured access to the suspect's mobile devices and computers to gather evidence of his betrayal.

This arrest comes in the wake of ongoing efforts by Ukraine to root out suspected Russian agents since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Malyuk, who oversaw the operation and reported its progress directly to President Volodymyr Zelensky, indicated that Kozyura had been recruited by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) while in Vienna in 2018. After being inactive for several years, contact with Kozyura resumed in December.

“Thanks to encrypted program bookmarks, we accessed the traitor's devices,” Malyuk stated in a video announcement. He emphasized that the SBU’s internal cleansing is a priority and reassured the public that efforts to uncover and expose traitors within their ranks are ongoing and effective. Malyuk concluded with a strong message: "No matter how the enemy attempts to penetrate our ranks, we will not let them succeed. We will continue to detect, document, and detain them promptly.”