Head of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Repeatedly Crossed Russian Border – OSINT Report

The open-sources intelligence (OSINT) team from the “Toronto Television” project discovered data from a leaked Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) database that showed Roman Hladky, Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Command, had made unauthorized crossings of the Russian border in 2014 and 2015 while serving in Kyiv’s Naval Command.

The investigation was unable to identify specific border checkpoints where the crossings were made, which means Hladky could have traveled directly to mainland Russia or occupied Crimea. He reportedly crossed the border a total of 26 times between 2014 and 2015.

From Feb. 27, 2015, to Jan. 1, 2016, Hladky served as the head of the surface and underwater forces department of the Naval Command. According to the OSINT report, he crossed the Russian border eight times during this period.

The majority of his crossings occurred prior to February 2015 while Hladky was still studying at Ukraine’s National Defense University.

The FSB database shows that Hladky’s wife, Olena, crossed the Russian border 22 times between Oct. 25, 2014, and Nov. 30, 2015.

Since July 2016, Hladky has held the position of Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of Ukraine’s Naval Forces. He was dismissed in 2018 for “improper performance of duties.”

At that time, the Navy’s press service stated that Hladky had been placed “at the disposal of the Minister of Defense to determine his future role,” and that his dismissal was linked to “identified shortcomings” during an inspection of a military unit.

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Ukrainian media, including the state news agency Ukrinform, reported that Hladky’s wife allegedly holds Russian citizenship, resides in occupied Crimea, and that their daughter participated in swimming competitions for the Central Sports Club of the Russian Army.

On July 25, 2024, Hladky was appointed Chief of Staff of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. The Unmanned Systems Command reported that Hladkyi had completed special training in Canada and had served in various operational sectors during the full-scale war, which included helping to organize defense against stormtrooper infantry attacks on the Odesa coastline.

The Command also claimed that Hladky passed security checks carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) before his appointment. However, the SBU later clarified that they did not conduct such a check as it was not part of the required procedure.

On Sept. 3, the General Staff of Ukraine announced Hladky’s temporary suspension pending an SBU investigation.

The decision to conduct a special review of Hladky was ordered by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky. This decision was supported by the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on National Security, Intelligence, and Defense.

What is known about the leaked FSB database

In late August, Russian investigative journalist Andrei Zakharov reported that the FSB Border Service’s database, containing information on people who crossed Russia’s borders between 2014 to 2023, had been leaked online, and was found in a data aggregator.

“I’ve never seen a larger leak from the FSB databases,” Zakharov wrote.

According to him, the database includes individuals’ full names, dates, locations of border crossings, the vehicles used, and destinations.

“Another aggregator acquired the entire FSB Border Service leak and named it ‘Cordon 2023,’ likely in reference to the year the data was leaked,” Zakharov said.

“I don't recall such a significant leak from the FSB’s internal databases. You can truly find detailed information on border crossings here. The earliest entry I found was from 2014, and the latest was from 2023,” he added.