The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed and detained Dmytro Kozyura, the head of the SBU Anti-Terrorist Center (ATC), who is suspected of working for the Russian Federal Security Service. The operation was personally led by SBU Head Vasyl Malyuk.
According to available information, the detainee held the position of Chief of Staff of the ATC and was also the Deputy Chief of the ATC. These positions provided him with full access to all materials related to the preparation and conduct of prisoner of war exchanges, including encrypted messages, locations of exchanges, details of agreements and lists of prisoners on both sides.
It is known that Kozyura has been working for the SBU since at least 2016, when he was already the head of the Anti-Terrorist Department (“T”).
As political expert Volodymyr Tsybulko notes in his blog , the presence of such a high-ranking FSB agent could have significantly influenced the prisoner exchange process. “Having access to information, the Russians could enter the negotiations from a ‘strong’ position. They could blackmail with the lives and health of our people,” the expert writes.
The investigation is currently establishing the circumstances of the possible information leak and the suspect’s influence on the disruption of prisoner exchanges. According to reports, some exchanges were disrupted due to the Russian side’s unexpected knowledge of sensitive information.
Given the nature of the suspect’s access to classified information, details of the investigation and trial may be partially closed.
The suspect reportedly had access to documents of the Joint Center at the SBU, which coordinates the exchange of prisoners between various law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.
