A court in Ukraine recently sentenced a Ukraine national to nine years in jail for passing classified information to Russia. During the investigation, he named the addresses in Belarus where he met with his Russian military intelligence handler to pass secret information about the upgrade and overhaul of Ukraine's Air Force Air-to-Ground aircraft, reports Radio Liberty. The man was a mechanic at the state-owned aircraft overhaul plant Mig Repairs, which is part of the state-run defense giant Ukroboronprom. He was detained in July 2019 when trying to pass a fresh portion of secret data to the Russian intelligence. The Ukrainian said he had contacts with Russian spies on three occasions on the territory of Belarus. On 17 January 2017, he passed secret information in the southern Belarusian city of Homiel (Savieckaja Street 27). The next two meetings took place in Minsk at Bieruta Street 3 on 5 December 2017 and 5 December 2018. Google Map shows that in Homiel there are several businesses registered at the mentioned address: a circus, shops, a coffee shop, and a bank. In Minsk, at Bieruta 3, several organizations are based - a car parking, a law firm, a car wash company, a tour operator and a firm that manufactures software for restaurant businesses. According to the investigators, the Ukraine man would be paid between $400 and $2000 for his information and eventually received around $10 000. The Ukraine officials added that the agent was handled by an operative from the 316th Intelligence Center of the Russian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) located in Novorossiysk, Krasnodar region near the border with Ukraine. Based on Ukraine's reports, from June 2015 through 3 July 2019 the man passed to Russian agents 400 text, graphic and audio files with information about overhaul and upgrades on the assault aircraft of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the timeline of scheduled works, call signs and reconnaissance equipment on the upgraded military jets.
