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Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has detained an 18-year-old man in Kyiv suspected of working for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). According to investigators, he attempted to register 148 Starlink terminals for use by Russian forces.
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.
According to the investigation, the suspect is a former student at a Kyiv college, where he trained to become a welder. After completing his studies, he began looking for ways to earn quick money through Telegram channels.
He was allegedly contacted by an FSB officer who offered him money in exchange for cooperation.
Within days of being recruited, the suspect registered 15 Starlink terminals using the passport details of relatives and acquaintances. He then prepared personal information belonging to other individuals to register another 133 devices.
SBU officers detained the suspect near a post office, where he allegedly planned to activate another batch of terminals.
The 15 previously registered Starlink terminals, whose details had already been sent to his Russian handler via a messaging app, were also blocked.
The suspect remains in custody without the possibility of bail. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment and confiscation of property.
The case adds to a growing number of incidents in which Russia allegedly recruits Ukrainians to carry out assignments on Moscow's behalf, including a recent case on Oct. 12, when Ukrainian authorities detained a 19-year-old suspected of plotting a bomb attack on a bus carrying soldiers in Rivne.
According to the SBU, the suspect had also been recruited through Telegram channels offering quick money.
On Oct. 6, the SBU reported arresting a suspected collaborator in Kyiv who allegedly helped Russia establish repeater stations for its drones and gather intelligence on targets in the capital.
In August, the SBU detained a suspected Russian agent in Kharkiv Oblast who allegedly registered 27 Starlink terminals for Russian forces.