Ukraine detains alleged Russian spies who used dash cams to guide missile strikes

Ukraine’s security services (SBU) arrested five individuals accused of using dashboard cameras to covertly film military sites and help Russian forces direct missile strikes across large parts of the country, the agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the SBU, the group was made up of young Ukrainians aged 16 to 23, including a student from Zaporizhzhia, his acquaintances and two brothers from Kharkiv. Although the members knew one another, they operated independently and each reported to a single Russian handler. 

The suspects allegedly parked cars with activated dash cams near military targets and left them to record for up to 12 hours. To avoid detection, they monitored the area from nearby cafes and periodically returned to change memory cards and check power supplies.

All five suspects were recruited online via Telegram channels while searching for “easy money,” the SBU said. They have been charged with high treason under martial law, a crime punishable by life imprisonment and property confiscation.

The SBU has previously warned about the use of surveillance cameras by Russian intelligence to monitor critical infrastructure and defense systems. Last January, authorities disabled two hacked online cameras in Kyiv that were allegedly used by Russia to stream footage of air defense positions. 

In a separate case, a man was detained in the capital for installing cameras in high-rise buildings overlooking energy sites, reportedly allowing Russian forces to assess the damage from missile strikes.

Russian authorities also previously warned residents in regions at risk of Ukrainian offensives to stop using surveillance cameras, fearing they could be exploited for intelligence gathering.