A former member of parliament from a party banned for Russian ties has been arrested and remanded in custody on charges of high treason, according to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

While the agencies did not identify the suspect by name, Hromadske news agency confirmed through law enforcement sources that the individual is Fedor Khrystenko.

According to ZN.UA, Khrystenko was not extradited but was handed over to the SBU from the United Arab Emirates through what the outlet describes as a rare occurrence made possible by intervention at the highest political level.

ZN.UA reports that Defense Minister Rustem Umerov worked on Khrystenko’s return on orders from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with SBU Deputy Chief and Counterintelligence Department Head Oleksandr Poklad traveling to retrieve him, after which Khrystenko “voluntarily” decided to return to Ukraine.

Suspect began working for Russian before full-scale invasion

Khrystenko was a member of the “Opposition Platform — For Life” party, which Ukraine banned in 2022 for its pro-Russian stance and alleged ties to Moscow.

The party was formed by politicians associated with Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after the 2014 Euromaidan protests that toppled his government following his decision to abandon European integration in favor of closer ties with Moscow.

According to the investigation, Russian intelligence service FSB recruited Khrystenko well before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The SBU alleges he “actively carried out tasks for the Russian intelligence service” during this period.

The charges stem from what investigators describe as an extensive network of connections to Russian operatives and Ukrainian collaborators. The SBU previously linked Khrystenko to Yuriy Ivanushchenko, known as Yura Yenakievsky, whom they identify as an FSB resident and overseer for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Investigators also describe Khrystenko as a liaison for Armen Sarkisyan, known as Armen Horlivsky, a collaborator who was assassinated in an explosion at a Moscow residential complex in early 2025.

According to the SBU, Sarkisyan was part of fugitive ex-president Viktor Yanukovych’s inner circle and founded the Russian military battalion “Arbat” after the full-scale invasion began that fought against Ukrainian troops in Donetsk Oblast and later in Russia’s Kursk. 

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Russian spy had ties in Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency

The case materials reveal what prosecutors call “an effective mechanism for influencing the leadership” of Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).

Established in 2014, NABU is empowered to investigate corruption cases involving Ukraine’s highest government officials, including the president, prime minister, and cabinet ministers, making Russian influence over the agency strategically significant for Moscow’s intelligence operations.

The SBU alleges Khrystenko maintained close relationships with several NABU officials, including previously detained Ruslan Magamedrasulov and detective unit head Oleksandr Skomarov.

As evidence of Khrystenko’s NABU connections, the SBU cites a 2022 incident when Skomarov’s wife allegedly traveled abroad using a vehicle belonging to Khrystenko’s wife.

Magamedrasulov was among the NABU investigators targeted during a controversial July 2025 security operation that led to dramatic claims of Russian infiltration within Ukraine’s anti-corruption agencies. The operation resulted in parliament temporarily placing NABU under prosecutorial control before mass protests forced a reversal.

In July 2025, prosecutors filed charges against Khrystenko under two sections of Ukraine’s Criminal Code: high treason committed by a group under martial law, and abuse of influence. Following his detention, a court ordered Khrystenko held in custody until 21 October.

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Ukraine's security service (SBU) is teaching teenagers how to avoid recruitment by Russian intelligence online, the New York Times (NYT) reported on June 21.

"Maybe not all of these special operations are reported in the media — but believe me, the enemy is not sleeping... They are working actively and carrying out illegal activities, as strange as it may sound, directly inside your phones," SBU spokesperson Roksolana Yavorska-Isaienko told students.

Approximately 22% of Ukrainians recruited by Russian intelligence to conduct sabotage or terrorist attacks are minors, Artem Dekhtiarenko, SBU spokesperson, said on April 2.

Russian intelligence attempts to recruit Ukrainian civilians online, offering easy money in return for sharing sensitive data or preparing sabotage or terrorist acts.

Russian intelligence finds its recruits using social platforms, including Telegram, Discord, and TikTok.

Unsuspecting teenagers are often offered hundreds or even thousands of dollars to conduct simpler tasks such as delivering packages or taking photos of energy sites, the NYT reports.

More serious tasks are commonly assigned to teenagers once they have been blackmailed for conducting less serious operations beforehand or when their phones are hacked to reveal compromising photos.

Russian intelligence is actively attempting to recruit Ukrainian nationals for illegal operations across the EU, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said on June 2.

"The recruitment of Ukrainians for hostile operations in Europe is yet another tool of hybrid aggression that the Russian Federation is waging against Ukraine and the entire European community," HUR said.

The SBU caught a Russian agent as he was filming a military airfield in preparation for a Russian strike, the agency reported on June 15.

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) recruited the unemployed 24-year-old via the Telegram messaging app to collect coordinates for air attacks on airfields and logistic depots, the SBU said.

The Russian FSB allegedly offered "easy money" and instructed the recruit to find military facilities and carry out reconnaissance on the ground.

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Argentina has uncovered a Russian intelligence operation working to spread pro-Kremlin disinformation and influence public opinion, Argentine presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced on June 18, citing the country's intelligence, according to AFP and Infobae.

The La Compania network, which is allegedly linked to the Russian government and the Kremlin's Project Lakhta, was led by Russian nationals Lev Konstantinovich Andriashvili and his wife Irina Yakovenko, who are both residents of Argentina, according to authorities.

The U.S. Treasury Department has previously accused the Project Lakhta, reportedly formerly overseen by late Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, of election interference in the United States and Europe.

Prigozhin led the Russian Wagner mercenary group that was deployed in some of the deadliest battles in Ukraine, like the siege of Bakhmut. The oligarch was killed in a plane crash under suspicious circumstances in August 2023, around two months after leading a brief armed rebellion against the Kremlin.

Andriashvili and Yakovenko are accused of receiving financial support to recruit local collaborators and run influence operations aimed at advancing Moscow's geopolitical interests.

Their objective was to "form a group loyal to Russian interests" to develop disinformation campaigns targeting the Argentine state, Adorni said at a press briefing.

The spokesperson added that the alleged operation included producing social media content, influencing NGOs and civil society groups, organizing focus groups with Argentine citizens, and gathering political intelligence.

"Argentina will not be subjected to the influence of any foreign power," Adorni said, noting that while some findings have been declassified, much of the investigation remains a state secret.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a significant uptick in Russian migration to Argentina, some of which officials fear could be linked to covert intelligence operations.

Authorities reportedly said these espionage activities are often facilitated by a 2009 bilateral agreement between Argentina and Russia allowing visa-free travel, a deal that remains in effect despite growing security concerns.

In response to the threat, Adorni announced the creation of a new Federal Investigations Department (DFI) within Argentina's Federal Police, modeled in part on the U.S. FBI. The agency will focus on countering organized crime, terrorism, and foreign espionage, with investigators trained in advanced techniques and bolstered by experts in law, psychology, and computer science.

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A hundred days since the U.S. and Ukraine agreed on a ceasefire, “Russia continues to choose war,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on June 19, urging international pressure to push Moscow toward peace.

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