Impersonating SBU employees: how Russian special services recruit Ukrainians
Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine has exposed attempts by Russian special services to massively recruit Ukrainians under a foreign flag.
This was reported by the press service of the SBU.
It is known that representatives of Russian special services pose as employees of the SBU, the National Police, and other law enforcement agencies.
During 2026 alone, dozens of attempts to recruit Ukrainian citizens were uncovered.
During such attempts, special services call or write to people in messengers, posing as employees of the SBU, the National Police, or other law enforcement agencies.
They can use customer databases of online stores to obtain personal data.
The enemy is blackmailing people with fictitious criminal liability. For example, for allegedly purchasing medical supplies on a Russian website.
In exchange for “closing” fictitious criminal proceedings, the attackers demand money or force people to set fire to administrative buildings, military vehicles, etc.
Russian agents call Ukrainian citizens pretending to be law enforcement officers. They may also use other legends and methods.
One of the most common practices of the enemy is sending fake summonses with a “call for questioning” to the SBU. To make such “documents” more convincing, they add forged signatures of high-ranking officials of the Service.
After that, people start to be blackmailed. Ukrainians are convinced that they can help close the relevant criminal proceedings, but in return they demand the completion of certain tasks.
It has been established that the Russian special services force recruited individuals to commit various illegal actions: to monitor a specific person, to move a package from one address to another, to purchase chemical components and make homemade explosive devices, to set fire to vehicles of the Defense Forces or administrative buildings, to prepare terrorist attacks or sabotage at important facilities, etc.
Sometimes, to “avoid” prison, Russian handlers demand money from victims. Usually, they ask to transfer the funds to the enemy’s account details or to transfer the cash via courier, supposedly for “authenticity verification.”
The SBU emphasizes that the Service operates exclusively within the framework of the current legislation of Ukraine, does not set any dubious “tasks” for citizens, and does not send official documents via messengers.
“If you are approached with such “offers”, you have noticed suspicious objects or persons, or you have received information about the activities of Russian special services, as well as about pages on the Internet or social networks that they use for recruitment, report this to the SBU: FSB officer’s “Spaly” chatbot, tel.: 1516; email: callcenter@ssu.gov.ua,” the SBU noted.
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