The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) uncovered a mole within the Defense Forces, who had been orchestrating a "breakthrough" for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, the SBU reported on July 30.
The military counterintelligence unit detained a 26-year-old mobilized man, recruited by the Russian forces via a Telegram channel offering "easy money." He agreed to cooperate in exchange for money to cover his gambling debts.
"The SBU conducted comprehensive operations to ensure the security of Ukrainian military bases and movement routes on that section of the front," the statement read.
The SBU reported that the traitor was directing Russian airstrikes and heavy artillery onto the positions of his own unit, which was holding back the Russian advance near the town of Velikiy Burluk. The suspect would leave the shelling zone under false pretenses and gather information for the FSB on the locations of nearby Ukrainian Defense Forces units. The Russian forces hoped to use the information for future "breakthrough" operations.