Return to occupied Luhansk region in exchange for sabotage: agent Gru sentenced to 15 years in prison

The man, on behalf of the Russian special services, tried to disable a railway track, transmitted data about the Ukrainian military and critical infrastructure facilities, and later prepared a new sabotage. In exchange for cooperation, he was promised help to travel to occupied Siverskodonetsk in Luhansk Region.

Prosecutors proved that in June 2025, a repairman at one of the Kharkiv municipal enterprises began communicating with a person who was on the territory of the aggressor state and was acting in the interests of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The man agreed to carry out the task.

In exchange for his cooperation, he was promised assistance in traveling to occupied Siverskodonetsk, a city in Luhansk Region where he was from, and a "comfortable life" under the protection of the occupation authorities.

First, the agent took a homemade metal derailment shoe from a cache and installed it on a railway track in a suburb of Kharkiv. The device was supposed to cause an accident, but the train did not derail.

Later, the man purchased a mobile phone starter pack, a memory card, and a camera trap for monitoring the track. Following the curator's instructions, he began preparing to blow up the railway track.

The Russian side transferred the components for the manufacture of explosives using a drone, which dropped the components at a pre-arranged location in the Kharkiv region. The agent planted an explosive device and detonated it. As a result of the explosion, the railway track was damaged, and the section was closed to train traffic.

In addition, the man provided the Russian curator with intelligence information, including information about the locations of Ukrainian military deployments and critical infrastructure facilities.

Later, the attacker began to prepare to commit a second sabotage. The man failed to complete the crime - in October 2025, law enforcement officers detained him under Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. During the search, an explosive device and components for its activation were discovered and seized. He was informed of the suspicion. The man was awaiting sentencing in custody. In court, the accused pleaded guilty.

In support of the public accusation by prosecutors of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, the court found a 55-year-old man guilty of:

— high treason committed under martial law (Part 2, Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);

— sabotage committed under martial law (Part 2 of Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);

— a completed attempt to commit sabotage (Part 2 of Article 15, Part 2 of Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

— preparation for sabotage (Part 1, Article 14, Part 2, Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);

— acquisition and storage of an explosive device and explosive substances without a permit provided for by law (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.

The pre-trial investigation and operational support were carried out by employees of the SBU Department in the Kharkiv region.

For your information: the deadline for appealing the verdict is still in effect.