MOSCOW. June 4 (Interfax) - Two Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested two women in Crimea for gathering information about military facilities and troops of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on orders from Ukrainian security services, the FSB public relations center said in a statement.
"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has put an end to the activities of two women, agents of Ukrainian security services passing information about military facilities in the Republic of Crimea," it said.
A resident of the Nizhnegorsky district of Crimea "proactively contacted the administrator of a Ukrainian Telegram channel created and coordinated by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate and offered to help gather military information," it said.
"The woman passed addresses and coordinates of military facilities, including a field fuel-and-lubricant depot of a military unit stationed in the Republic of Crimea, to the Ukrainian side. The information was meant for use in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strikes," the FSB said.
Another suspect, a resident of Sevastopol, "was recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine as a confidential informant via the Telegram messenger," it said.
"Acting on orders from her handler, she conducted visual surveillance, gathered information about a serviceman of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and passed it to the Security Service of Ukraine," the FSB said.
The women were detained and confessed.
The investigative department of the FSB branch in the Republic of Crimea opened criminal cases against the detainees on counts of treason by espionage. A court placed them under arrest.
The offense is punishable with up to 20 years in jail.
"The Russian FSB notes that Ukrainian security services are increasingly using the Telegram and WhatsApp messengers for drawing citizens into sabotage and intelligence operations," the FSB said.