MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - Russia's security services have thwarted the activities of a Ukrainian intelligence and sabotage group, which included a female Russian military officer suspected of divulging state secrets, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) told Interfax on Wednesday.
"The Russian Federal Security Service thwarted the activities of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate on the territory of the Republic of Crimea, which were aimed at planning and committing acts of sabotage and terrorism, stealing information constituting state secrets, and recruiting Russian citizens," an FSB spokesperson said.
The intelligence operations uncovered by Russian security services "were organized by Oleh Alisherovych Akhmedov, the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence unit stationed in the city of Kherson," the spokesperson said.
"Russian counterintelligence has curbed the activities of an agent group recruited and handled by Col. Akhmedov, which included a female service member of the Russian Armed Forces, who is suspected of divulging information constituting a state secret officially entrusted to her to Ukrainian military intelligence representatives in 2017-2018, as well as a citizen of Ukraine suspected of spying on assignment of the Ukrainian special service," the spokesperson said.
The FSB's Investigative Directorate has opened criminal cases on treason and espionage charges, he said.
"Being guided by the principles of humanity, considering that the accused has underage children, a court ordered house arrest as a pretrial restrictive measure for her. The citizen of Ukraine has been taken into custody," the spokesperson said.
Russian security services obtained information indicating that the detainees were engaged in espionage while investigating a criminal case against a Russian citizen suspected of arranging dugouts in Crimea on assignment of Col. Akhmedov to store ammunition and explosives delivered from Ukrainian territory, the spokesperson said.
"Ukrainian military intelligence plotted a series of acts of sabotage and terrorism at critical social and military infrastructure sites in our country," he said.