SBU says it exposed GRU agent network that guided strikes on Kharkiv

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) says its counterintelligence officers have exposed a four-member agent network linked to Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, operating in the Kharkiv region, according to Ukrinform.

The SBU alleges the network's members collected information on Ukrainian military personnel and law enforcement officers and used that information to help guide strikes on the city of Kharkiv, a major urban center that has repeatedly come under Russian attack during the war.

Alleged roles within the network

According to the report, the group is accused of gathering intelligence that was then used to direct strikes, suggesting the network's alleged function went beyond simple information-gathering to include a role in actively enabling attacks. The SBU frequently reports on the discovery of such networks as part of its broader counterintelligence operations against Russian intelligence activity on Ukrainian territory.

Claims of this kind from Ukrainian security services are a regular feature of wartime reporting and are typically difficult to verify independently, relying on investigative work conducted by the SBU itself. The agency has not been described in the report as having released additional evidence, such as names or further operational details, about the four alleged network members.

Kharkiv, located near the Russian border, has been a frequent target of Russian strikes throughout the conflict, making security operations aimed at disrupting intelligence-gathering networks in the region an ongoing priority for Ukrainian authorities.