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Russian Intelligence Impersonates SBU Officers to Recruit Elderly Ukrainians for Sabotage
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Photo of Amira Barkhush")
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has warned about a new tactic used by Russian intelligence agencies, attempting to recruit Ukrainians by posing as SBU employees.
The statement was published on the SBU website on June 5, 2025.
According to the SBU, there has been an increase in cases where Russians impersonate SBU officers, giving assignments to be carried out supposedly “in the interests of the Ukrainian State.”
Another recruitment tactic increasingly used by Russian intelligence services involves sending summonses via messaging apps, demanding citizens appear for interrogation by an SBU investigator due to an allegedly open criminal case. The fabricated reason for this “case” usually involves the purchase of “banned goods in Ukraine.”
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Following this, unknown individuals contact the citizen by phone, offering assistance in “closing the criminal case.” To “resolve the issue,” they demand that the individual complete certain tasks, such as monitoring the movements of a particular individual, moving unknown items from one address to another, or setting fire to a Defense Forces vehicle or an administrative building.
During these interactions, Russian operatives also demand the installation of malware on the citizen’s phone to track the device’s owner.
The SBU notes that Russian intelligence services used to target teenagers, but now they are also focusing on the elderly.
On June 3, it was reported that a Ukrainian citizen, suspected of setting fire to properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, may have been recruited by Russia through the Telegram messaging app.
