​​​​​​​ISTANBUL

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) arrested a high-ranking officer on suspicion of working for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the agency announced Wednesday.

The suspect, identified as the head of the SBU’s Anti-Terrorism Center, was detained in a special operation led by SBU chief Vasyl Maliuk, who was involved in the investigation and apprehension.

Maliuk said the SBU documented 14 instances of illegal activity linked to the officer, who allegedly gathered and passed the classified information.

“This was a complex operation involving a multi-stage strategy and a full range of investigative and technical surveillance methods,” said Maliuk. “We gained access to the traitor’s mobile devices and computers, conducted audio and video monitoring, and effectively tracked the exchange of information with the enemy.”

The SBU used the suspect to feed disinformation to Russian intelligence for an extended period, first as part of counterintelligence measures and later within a criminal investigation, added Maliuk.

“The SBU’s internal cleansing continues,” he said. “The enemy believes it has mastered all possible forms of infiltration, but we detect, document, and detain them in time.”

Further details of the operation will be soon disclosed, the SBU added.