The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained a member of the Wagner Group, a notorious private military company, in the Rivne Oblast region of Ukraine. The individual, a 34-year-old Belarusian citizen, was apprehended while attempting to install GPS trackers on energy infrastructure, aimed at enabling precision airstrikes by Russian forces.
The Wagner mercenary, identified as having fought against Ukraine between 2014 and 2017 with illegal armed groups in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, joined the ranks of the Wagner Group during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His recent involvement included participation in combat actions near Bakhmut in the Donetsk Oblast.
The SSU’s intervention was the culmination of a meticulously planned multi-stage operation. Ukrainian intelligence had been tracking the mercenary’s movements since his time in Belarus, where he received instructions from his handlers.
