The conditions imposed by the court on the young person include the obligation to report regularly to the authorities, to report any changes in their home, place of study or work and to obtain prior authorization from the authorities to leave the country. The sentence also stipulated that he must carry out all tasks prescribed by the probation officer. As the Europa Press agency reports, the student, aged between 16 and 17, was subject to these guidelines after he was found responsible for sending confidential data about Ukraine’s military infrastructure to Russian intelligence for a fee.
According to Europa Press, the Khmelnitsky Provincial Court found that the young woman had provided a Russian intelligence officer with various information about military facilities after maintaining contact via the Telegram messaging platform. The actions attributed to the student occurred during the Russian military invasion that began in February 2022 on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The court described these incidents as a violation of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced the young woman to five years in prison. However, due to an agreement with the public prosecutor’s office, the verdict does not mean that she has to go to prison and the young woman must remain on probation for two years.
The defendant, who could not be identified for legal and protection reasons, was in eleventh grade at the time of the events, according to Europa Press. During the trial, it was revealed that the student was contacted by a Russian intelligence officer through encrypted channels on Telegram. As part of this exchange, the official asked him to make video recordings in which he observed the headquarters of the National Academy of Ukrainian Border Guard in Khmelnytskyi, as well as a specific military facility in the same province and a train station for the transport of military materials and goods.
Europa Press noted that the exchange of information included not only records, but also the location of buildings important to Ukraine’s national security. The goal of the Russian secret service, according to the accusation, is to obtain operational data of strategic importance in the context of the ongoing armed conflict between the two countries. In return for these services, the teenager would have received payments from the Russian official. The nature and amount of the financial rewards were not publicly disclosed, although the court noted in the decision that they were cash transfers as compensation for the information provided.
The agreement reached between the prosecution and the defense allowed the minor to avoid actually serving her sentence in a correctional facility. Europa Press stressed that during the two-year probation period, the young woman cannot leave the province without appropriate authorization and is obliged to report her whereabouts and any change in her educational or employment situation. The ruling also establishes that compliance with the sentence is subject to strict judicial control and that any non-compliance may result in the revocation of the service and the effective fulfillment of the original sentence.
The trial came amid the war Ukraine has been facing since the military advance ordered by the Russian government in February 2022. Europa Press emphasized that cooperation with foreign intelligence services, especially on national defense issues, is receiving increasing attention from the Ukrainian authorities and numerous investigations have been launched in the last year. The convicted teenager’s case occurred in a region important for its military and equipment transport infrastructure.
The ruling imposes particularly strict restrictions to avoid any contact or movement without the knowledge of the judicial authorities. Europa Press explained that the teenager’s presence before official bodies must be regular and that any failure to comply with the obligations could lead to harsher legal consequences. In addition, requirements have been put in place to ensure that behavior related to the transmission of confidential data is not repeated.
The court’s ruling reaffirms the position of the Ukrainian judicial system regarding cooperation with foreign forces in the context of the ongoing conflict. As Europa Press reiterated, investigations focused on the sharing of sensitive information through digital media remain active and cooperation with international security organizations has been intensified, in particular to identify channels and methods used by Russian intelligence agents to recruit new personnel on Ukrainian territory.
The case is part of a broader context of tensions and intelligence operations following the start of hostilities in 2022. Khmelnytskyi province, where the court that handed down the verdict is located, has crucial facilities for Ukraine’s defense, making the region an interesting target for intelligence-gathering maneuvers. Europa Press reported that the coordinated action between local judicial investigators and national security organizations made it possible to document the connection between the student and the Russian official and record the flow of data and money related to the case.
The court emphasized the seriousness of the events and the responsibility of those involved in providing information that could affect national security. The request for conditional release was based on the current legal framework and took into account the defendant’s age, the level of cooperation during the investigation and the agreement reached with the prosecutor’s office, Europa Press highlighted.
About The Author
