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Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Major General Valeriy Shaytanov on suspicion of high treason and terrorism in Kyiv on April 14.
Ukrainian Security Service officers detain Major General Valeriy Shaytanov on suspicion of high treason and terrorism in Kyiv on April 14.

Ukraine Live Blog: Zelenskiy's Challenges (Archive)

An archive of our recent live blogging of the crisis in Ukraine's east.

08:57 1.4.2020

Good morning. We'll get the live blog going today with this item, which was posted overnight by RFE/RL's news desk:

Ukraine Says It Uncovered Spy Channel Between Naval Officer, Russia's FSB

Ukraine's SBU security service says the navy officer had “access to confidential information that is of a particularly important nature.” (file photo)
Ukraine's SBU security service says the navy officer had “access to confidential information that is of a particularly important nature.” (file photo)

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) says it has breached an espionage communication channel between a high-ranking Ukrainian naval officer and staff from Russia's main spy agency, the FSB, in the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

Procedures have begun to remove the officer’s access to confidential information and strip him of his rank, the SBU said in a statement on March 31.

It did not give the officer’s name, former rank, or current status.

According to the statement, the officer maintained his loyalty to Kyiv while he was in service in Crimea when Russia took over the peninsula in 2014.

It said the officer refused to assist Russian security forces in occupying a naval academy in the port city of Sevastopol.

However, upon transferring to mainland Ukraine after the Russian invasion, the officer continued to “maintain constant contacts with existing personnel of the FSB,” the SBU said.

Among them were “former SBU servicemen Andrey Gaponenko, Petro Zima, Dmitry Pylypchenko, who moved to the enemy’s side during the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014."

After moving to mainland Ukraine, the officer visited his native Crimea and allegedly had personal meetings with the former SBU officers, according to the statement.

It said the navy officer had “access to confidential information that is of a particularly important nature related to defense.”

The SBU published a video on social media allegedly showing the man making confessions.

09:16 1.4.2020

09:17 1.4.2020

09:19 1.4.2020

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10:13 1.4.2020

11:16 1.4.2020

12:10 1.4.2020

12:35 1.4.2020

14:13 1.4.2020

Here is today's map of the security situation in the eastern conflict area, according to the National Security and Defense Council (click to enlarge):

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