Ukrainian courts convicted more than a dozen foreign nationals on sabotage charges, concluding they were recruited and directed by Russian intelligence services.
Prosecutors presented evidence that the defendants targeted infrastructure and military-related sites as part of a broader covert campaign accompanying the full-scale invasion.
Security services said some operatives entered Ukraine under civilian cover while others had prior criminal records that made them susceptible to recruitment.
The verdicts add to a growing body of criminal cases treating sabotage as a distinct wartime offense with heavy penalties.
Western intelligence assessments have long warned that Moscow relies on proxy actors to conduct attacks that are difficult to attribute quickly on the battlefield.
Ukraine’s security service has publicized several sabotage cases as warnings to others recruited through online channels or criminal intermediaries.
Convicted foreign operatives face lengthy prison terms under Ukrainian wartime criminal statutes distinct from ordinary espionage charges.
Allied governments have supplied training and equipment to help Kyiv detect covert sabotage cells operating behind front-line areas.
Sabotage targets in several convictions included railway infrastructure and energy installations far from active combat zones.
Ukrainian prosecutors emphasized that foreign recruits were often promised payment through encrypted channels before entering the country.
Sentencing hearings for convicted foreign saboteurs will proceed under Ukrainian wartime statutes carrying penalties distinct from ordinary criminal codes.
Ukrainian courts handed down sabotage convictions against foreign nationals authorities said were recruited and directed by Russian intelligence agencies.
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Sources:
https://www.occrp.org/en