Colonel Dmytro Kozyura, a former senior official within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), has been sentenced to life imprisonment following his conviction for high treason. The Shevchenkivskyy District Court in Kyiv found the former chief of staff of the SBU’s anti-terrorism center guilty of leaking classified state secrets to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
Investigations revealed that Kozyura was recruited by the FSB in Vienna in 2018. Although contact remained dormant for several years, his Russian handlers re-established communication in late 2024. Operating from a clandestine safehouse in Kyiv, the colonel provided Moscow with sensitive intelligence, including Ukrainian military deployments, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and details regarding political and military leaders. Furthermore, he reported on the aftermath of Russian missile strikes, documenting casualty figures for both military personnel and civilians.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko emphasized that Kozyura abused his high-level security clearance for financial gain. Before his arrest in February 2025, SBU agents conducted a comprehensive counterintelligence operation, monitoring his activities around the clock. During this period, the agency managed to feed the Russian operative significant quantities of disinformation to mislead Moscow’s forces.
SBU head Vasyl Malyuk, who personally oversaw the investigation, confirmed that Kozyura’s primary FSB contact was an operative named Yuriy Shatalov. Beyond the treason conviction, the colonel was also found guilty of the illegal possession of explosives and weapons. Ukrainian authorities stated that this sentencing serves as a stern warning against betrayal by those tasked with national security.
