Ukraine catches four Russians for spying

Ukraine has arrested four Russians for spying and held another on espionage charges, local media reported on Tuesday, citing an official from Ukraine's intelligence service.

"The Russians had been caught in southern Ukraine trying to obtain military secrets," the head of Ukraine's intelligence service Valentyn Nalyvaychenko told a news conference.

"Ukraine's security services intercepted a Russian intelligence operation on Jan. 27 in the region of Odessa in southern Ukraine," the Interfax-Ukraine news agency quoted Nalyvaychenko as saying.

"We caught all five operatives red-handed who, with blackmail and threats, tried illegally to obtain Ukrainian state secrets from a Ukrainian citizen," he said.

Nalyvaychenko noted that the spy group -- which included officers from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and a Russian soldier stationed in Moldova's breakaway region Transdniestria -- had kidnapped a Ukrainian in an attempt to gain secrets.

He also said four of the Russians had been expelled from Ukraine while an FSB colonel had been arrested on espionage charges.

Digital recorders, a video camera disguised as a fountain pen, flash cards, notebooks, instructions and 2,000 U.S dollars intended to bribe the Ukrainian were found, the security chief added.

According to the Ukraine-Interfax news agency reports, an official from Russian national security agency confirmed on Tuesday that a Russian spy was arrested in Ukraine, saying Russian intelligence operations were in response to Ukrainian espionage activities in Russia.

Source: Xinhua