FSB Officer Convicted In Absentia for Recruiting Ukrainian Cadet

Russian FSB Officer Found Guilty of Treason

According to Главком: A Ukrainian court has convicted a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officer in absentia for inciting treason. The Halytskyi District Court of Lviv found Nikolai Lebedev guilty, according to a ruling dated January 27, 2025. Lebedev collaborated with a female cadet from the Military Institute of Tank Forces of Kharkiv Polytechnic University to transmit classified information. The cadet, who acted as an informant, was detained on January 17, 2025, and her case is currently being heard in a closed session of the Stryi City District Court in the Lviv region. This case highlights the ongoing intelligence threats Ukraine faces during the war.

Case Details

Lebedev, born in 1991, is an employee of the FSB directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. His collaboration with the cadet lasted from October 2024 to January 2025. During this period, the cadet transmitted:

• The geographic coordinates of her unit's location, including a site in the Lviv region at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in the village of Starychi, Yavoriv district.
• Information about a fire strike on a building housing female cadets.

The cadet received monetary compensation for her activities. She requested payments of 5-7 thousand and 7-8 thousand hryvnias, receiving funds by mail or through methods not established by the investigation. Investigators discovered she created a cryptocurrency wallet and twice received payments equivalent to $228 and $250 USD. Her correspondence with Lebedev also contained requests to organize drone strikes on the town of Morshyn and messages about the planned phased redeployment of part of the institute's personnel.

The key evidence in the case is Lebedev's correspondence with the cadet, obtained through covert investigative measures, fragments of which were found on the detainee's mobile phone. For his actions, Lebedev was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property. The former cadet is now on trial for treason.

This case demonstrates the severity of threats related to the activities of foreign intelligence services on Ukrainian territory and the importance of combating acts of treason.

The trials of Lebedev and the cadet underscore the need for enhanced security measures and information control concerning military units, especially under active combat conditions. Simultaneously, it serves as a warning to others who might be inclined toward similar activities about the serious consequences of such actions.