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Former Rivne Nuclear Plant Employee Arrested for Assisting Russian Intelligence
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a former employee of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on suspicion of collaborating with Russian military intelligence to facilitate drone strikes targeting the facility's power lines on May 13.
According to the SBU, the suspect planned to aid attacks on high-voltage power lines that connect the Rivne NPP in Rivne region with power facilities in Kyiv region, essential for supplying electricity to the capital and nearby areas.
The individual reportedly left his job at the Rivne NPP before Russia’s full-scale invasion. However, in the spring of 2025, he was allegedly approached by a GRU liaison offering cooperation in exchange for financial compensation.
The suspect attempted to install a GPS tracker on a main power line pole and conducted reconnaissance to identify the positions of Ukrainian troops guarding the NPP to approach undetected.
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SBU operatives arrested the man while he was trying to activate the tracking device. His mobile phone, containing incriminating messages linked to Russian security services, was seized.
The suspect has been charged under Part 2 of Article 113 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (sabotage under martial law) and remains in custody. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment and the confiscation of property.
Earlier, Greek authorities had detained a suspected Russian intelligence asset in the northeastern port city of Alexandroupoli, a critical transit hub for NATO military shipments to Ukraine.
According to investigators, the man spent six months systematically surveilling military installations, documenting equipment movements, bound for Ukraine. Data recovered from his mobile phone reveal he sent images and detailed reports to his handler abroad.
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
