SBU Detains Two Russian FSB Agents Found ‘Hunting’ for ABRAMS Tanks Near Avdiivka

Ukraine’s security services have detained two men accused of passing on the location of Ukrainian tanks and artillery fighting near Avdiivka to Russian forces.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said the residents of the Pokrovsky district were working for Security Service of Russia (FSB) though they operated independently of each other. Both had a common “liaison” in the FSB.

Their primary objective was to determine the firing positions of Ukrainian artillery and the movement routes of the AFU’s heavy armored vehicles, including ABRAMS tanks.

“The SBU neutralized the FSB agent group that ‘hunted’ for ABRAMS tanks near Avdiivka,” the SBU said.

Furthermore, the suspects shared the coordinates of Ukrainian checkpoints and fortifications along the front lines with Russians. In exchange for completed tasks, the agents were promised remuneration via bank transfers.

During the arrest, SBU personnel confiscated mobile phones containing evidence of instructions received from the FSB of Russia and the submitted “reports” detailing the execution of their plans.

According to the investigation, the FSB had remotely recruited the suspects in June. The agents covertly traversed the Pokrovsky district, discreetly photographing the bases and movement points of the Armed Forces.

They transmitted this information to the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region through messengers using photographic evidence and electronic maps.

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The detained individuals have been formally charged under the Criminal Code of Ukraine [Part 2 of Art. 111, assistance to the aggressor state], which carries a potential life imprisonment sentence.

Reports suggest that Russian forces have made progress in the vicinity of the embattled town of Avdiivka, but not without sustaining substantial losses, according to Ukrainian officials.

Vitaly Barabash, the head of the town’s military administration, reported continuous targeting of the primary supply route, spanning approximately 22 kilometers (~14 miles), day and night.