Russian counterspies tricked Kiev into paying them $100,000 – FSB

Ukrainian intelligence had attempted to offer soldiers a $1mn bribe to retreat, the security agency claimed

Russian counterintelligence agents have managed to trick their Ukrainian opponents into paying them $100,000 as part of a sting operation, which thwarted the attempted bribery of a frontline unit, officials claimed on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian military intelligence agency HUR had promised to pay $1 million to troops stationed near the city of Gorlovka in exchange for a surprise retreat, the statement said.

After learning about the corruption plot, Russian military intelligence and counterintelligence agents from the Federal Security Service (FSB) launched their own operation to turn the table on the Ukrainians, the FSB explained. The $100,000 was an advance payment for the treasonous act, and actually went to Moscow’s coffers.

The Ukrainians contacted troops protecting the Gagarin coal mine, which is located west of Gorlovka in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, in the Autumn of 2023, according to the FSB and interviews with troops, which the Russian agency released to the media.

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The location is significant for the defense of the city. It has high spoil tips – hills of waste material separated from coal, which accumulated over the decades. They can be used for observation and artillery attacks against the surrounding area. If Ukrainian troops had seized them, Gorolovka would have been exposed to direct strikes or an offensive.

The Russian soldier contacted by the Ukrainians pretended to take their offer, but informed counterintelligence officers. Eventually, this allowed them to lay a trap for Kiev’s special operations forces, who advanced towards the mine expecting no resistance.

In addition to promising money and paying the advance payment in cash, Kiev offered extraction and resettlement in a European nation under new identities, the FSB alleged.