Published: · Region: Eastern Europe · Category: intelligence

Ukraine Says It Broke Russian Spy Network Hunting F‑16s, Exposing Airbase Vulnerabilities

Ukraine’s security service says it has dismantled a 14-person Russian GRU-linked network that was tracking F‑16 and Mirage 2000 operations from Ukrainian air bases. The group allegedly photographed aircraft and personnel, logged takeoffs and landings, and fed the data to Russian intelligence — a reminder that every new Western jet arrives under the gaze of hostile reconnaissance.

Bringing Western fighter jets into a warzone was always going to be about more than training pilots and building shelters; it was about keeping prying eyes away from the runways. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on 13 August that it has dismantled a 14-person agent network allegedly run by Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, which was collecting detailed information on Ukrainian air bases hosting F‑16 and Mirage 2000 aircraft. According to the SBU, members of the network photographed aircraft, personnel and airfield layouts and tracked takeoff and landing times, passing the intelligence to Russian handlers. Several suspects, including at least one Ukrainian military officer, have been detained. The SBU’s…

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