Eight Ukrainian intelligence agents sentenced in Russia for Crimea attacks

ROSTOV-ON-DON, October 8. /TASS/. Russia's Southern District Military Court sentenced eight members of a Ukrainian military intelligence network to prison terms ranging from five years suspended to 27 years, a TASS correspondent reports from the courtroom.

They had previously been detained while preparing a series of terrorist attacks and assassination attempts targeting senior officials in Crimea. "The defendants are found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment," the judge said.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) previously reported that it had dismantled a network of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Defense Ministry that was planning a series of high-profile terrorist attacks in Crimea. According to the FSB, the plans included assassination attempts targeting Crimean Head Sergey Aksyonov, Crimean parliament Chairman Vladimir Konstantinov and Yalta Mayor Yanina Pavlenko. Terrorist attacks were also planned at transport infrastructure facilities on the peninsula. In 2024, the Southern District Military Court reported that it had sentenced two members of the Podvalny group: Konstantin Yevmenenko received a 10-year sentence, while Alexander Litvinenko was sentenced to nine years and six months.

During closing arguments, prosecutors requested prison terms ranging from 10 to 28 years for the eight members of the Ukrainian military intelligence network. During the hearings, Podvalny, Zorin, Petranov, Krivoshein, Voynarovsky, Voynarovskaya and Kravchuk pleaded not guilty. Barannik admitted his guilt but denied committing the crimes as part of an organized group.

According to the FSB, a cross-border network organized by Ukrainian special services ran from Bulgaria to Russia through Turkey and Georgia. In Bulgaria, Ukrainian citizen Marina Matushchak arranged for electric stoves containing explosive-device components to be shipped to Russia. After the stoves were transported by road to Russia, CDEK and Vozovoz delivery companies forwarded them to the sites where the attacks were being prepared. Russian citizens who were unaware of the shipments' true purpose handled the deliveries at the request of Ukrainian special services. Authorities also found that identical explosives were used to sabotage a railway in Crimea's Bakhchisaray district. Security forces subsequently detained members of the deeply clandestine intelligence group in Crimea, including Viktor Podvalny, Alexander Litvinenko, Sergey Krivoshein, Konstantin Yevmenenko and others. They had been recruited by Roman Mashovets, who had served as deputy head of Vladimir Zelensky's office since 2020 before joining the intelligence service.