Ukraine War26 June, 20262 min read
Ukraine Sentences Col Dmytro Kozyura To Life For Spying For Russia’s FSB
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Col. Dmytro Kozyura, former head of SBU anti-terrorism center, sentenced to life. Convicted of high treason for spying for Russia's FSB and sharing secrets.
Life Sentence for Kozyura
A Ukrainian court sentenced former senior SBU counter-terrorism official Col Dmytro Kozyura to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of high treason committed under martial law for spying for Russia’s FSB. The BBC said an operation codenamed "rat" found Kozyura used a safehouse in Kyiv to communicate with Russian handlers seeking classified information about Ukraine’s military and leadership. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said Kozyura agreed to share information "constituting state secrets" for financial reward and deserved the harshest punishment.
The Kyiv Post said the SBU described Kozyura’s detention in February 2025 as part of an unprecedented counterintelligence operation codenamed “Rat,” and it said Russian handlers resumed contact with him in late December 2024. The Kyiv Independent reported that the court found Koziura guilty under Article 111, Part 2 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code and Article 263, Part 1, handing down a life sentence.
Prosecutor and SBU Details
Ruslan Kravchenko told the Kyiv Independent that "In exchange for a monetary reward, (Koziura) undertook to collect and pass on defense information" to Russian special services. The BBC reported that the SBU said Kozyura was in "constant communication" with his handlers and that his activities included spying on SBU command posts and "systematically" sharing the consequences of Russian strikes, including the number of wounded soldiers and civilians. The Kyiv Independent said Koziura was recruited by the FSB in Vienna in 2018 and that, when the full-scale invasion began in 2022, his role transitioned to that of an "active" agent.
The Kyiv Post said the SBU monitored the suspect throughout his espionage activities and used him in a counterintelligence operation to feed the FSB large amounts of disinformation before his arrest. The BBC added that after Kozyura’s arrest in February 2025, the SBU released an image of Kozyura with Ukraine’s intelligence chief Vasyl Malyuk, who led the investigation.
What Happens Next
The Kyiv Independent said Kozyura passed along confidential information on critical infrastructure, particularly Ukraine’s gas transportation system, and plans to increase air defense at these facilities. The BBC reported that the SBU maintained it had used Kozyura to "flood Russian forces with a massive amount of disinformation" while preventing him from getting hold of important intelligence. The Kyiv Post said the SBU identified Koziura’s alleged FSB handler network as one Yurii Shatalov and described the intermediary in Russia as a former aide to a former member of the Party of Regions.
The BBC said Kyiv has announced numerous operations to expose Russian agents on its soil since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Kyiv Independent framed the court’s decision through Kravchenko’s warning that "Anyone who wore Ukrainian shoulder boards and began working for the FSB becomes an enemy of Ukraine" and that "Only the harshest punishment is appropriate".