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A Story of Moscow Lawyer Who Risked It All to Spy for Ukraine From Inside of Russian Army
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![Vlad Litnarovych]( "Vlad Litnarovych")
A Moscow lawyer who opposed Russia’s war against Ukraine abandoned his career and secretly joined Ukraine’s intelligence network, even enlisting in the Russian army to leak sensitive military information. The remarkable story of Dmitry, 43, was published by Russian outlet Verstka on April 7.
Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmitry had a successful law practice, his own business in Moscow, and a family — a wife and two young children. But in August 2022, everything changed.
“When the war started, I was in shock,” he recalled. “I looked at people in the subway, at people in courtrooms handling bankruptcy cases, and thought: what are you doing? Are you idiots? All you need to do is just go out to Red Square…”
By the summer of 2022, he realized he could no longer stand by. He made the bold decision to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces and fight against the Russian military.
Dmitry planned his escape. He studied maps and selected a route across the Belarus-Ukraine border near the Shatsk Lakes, posing as a tourist visiting a local resort.
“I came up with a cover story — that I was just here on vacation. I got tickets from Moscow to Brest, toured the fortress, then went to the lakes,” he said.
He crossed the border on foot but was quickly stopped by Ukrainian border guards. “They raised their rifles and reported over the radio that they had detained a man,” he recalled. Dmitry handed over his passport and declared his intent to join Ukraine’s military.
He didn’t receive an immediate answer. Instead, he was taken to the border outpost “Svitiaz,” where he spent three days. He was then brought before a local court and fined for illegal border crossing, receiving an eight-day administrative sentence. However, he wasn’t jailed — he was immediately transferred to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
After questioning and background checks, Dmitry was returned to the point of his arrest and released. He had to re-enter Belarus — this time under fire from Belarusian border guards. He made it back to Brest and took a train back to Moscow.
While in Moscow, he stayed in contact with Ukrainian intelligence. They had exchanged information during his initial detainment. “We used WhatsApp — nothing special in terms of secrecy,” he said.
In June 2023, just after his wedding anniversary, Dmitry signed a contract with the Russian army.
He spent two weeks training in Volgograd, then was sent to Crimea for further drills — losing eight kilograms in the process. He described his unit as 70–80% ex-convicts and “lost souls.”
In August, his unit was deployed to Krynky on the frontline. There, he began feeding intelligence to the SBU — checkpoint locations, troop numbers, weapons inventories, photographs, and GPS coordinates — all sent via Telegram and WhatsApp. He noted that the radios used were cheap, Chinese-made, and unencrypted.
In March 2024, Dmitry was transferred to Henichesk but soon requested to return to Krynky, where he resumed his position as a squad commander.
During a leave of absence, he purchased tickets to Yerevan and, to mask his movements, also to Simferopol. He cleared Russian border control without issue and flew out of the country.
While in Armenia, he waited for further instructions from the SBU. At first, he was told approval was guaranteed, but that logistics needed to be worked out. A week later, however, he did not receive any green light to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Dmitry then explored alternative paths to return to the front. He interviewed with the Freedom of Russia Legion and eventually connected with the Siberian Battalion, which helped him relocate to another country.
Now in exile, Dmitry says he still wants to join Ukraine’s military but doesn’t know how to make that happen from abroad. He’s no longer in Russia and is once again in touch with his “friends” in the SBU, ready to continue helping in any way he can.
Despite the danger, exile, and a life forever changed, Dmitry says he has no regrets.
Earlier, a Russian soldier had defected to Ukraine after successfully carrying out an operation codenamed “Ocheret,” which involved the sabotage of a “Storm Z” battalion headquarters.
