Ukraine May Have 300-500 Russian Spies Working for Kyiv

In brief: A man coordinating surveillance for Ukrainian intelligence estimates that 300-500 Russians may be doing similar work for Kyiv. HUR confirmed his cooperation with the agency, but the BBC could not independently verify the figure.

Oct. 21, 2026

A silhouette of a person wearing a dark cap and mask, sitting on a boat at dusk with a green glow illuminating part of their jacket against a calm ocean backdrop. — For illustrative purposes: a member of “Timur’s Special Forces Unit” of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine rides on a military boat after visiting Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, located in the Black Sea, on August 14, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Roman PILIPEY / AFP)

Between 300 and 500 Russians may be gathering intelligence for Ukraine, according to an estimate by a man who says he coordinates a volunteer surveillance network working with Ukrainian military intelligence.

The estimate offers a glimpse of the potential scale of Ukraine’s intelligence recruitment inside Russia, but remains independently unverified, the BBC reported.

The man, identified by the pseudonym Foma, said his own network comprises about three dozen people across Russia, Ukraine and other European countries.

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) confirmed to the BBC that Foma and another Russian interviewed under the pseudonym Ivan work for the agency.

Foma, who lives in Poland, said he remotely coordinates volunteers who monitor senior Russian military officers and pass intelligence to Ukraine. He stressed that his network gathers information rather than carrying out attacks or killings.

After Russian Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was killed in Moscow in December 2025, Foma told the BBC journalist that he had supplied Ukraine with information about the officer. He said tracking Sarvarov had required considerable effort because the general changed his schedule and sought to conceal his movements.

Ivan, who remains inside Russia, described a different role. He said he had helped prepare Ukrainian drone attacks targeting strategic bombers and ammunition production facilities by monitoring military sites and identifying places to conceal drone components.

He also provided a video that he said showed him hiding explosives near a Russian military airfield. Neither the footage’s claimed circumstances nor his account of the operation could be independently verified, according to the BBC.

Ivan said he had once avoided detection during a vehicle inspection despite carrying an improvised explosive device (IED).

A self-described former participant in Russia’s political opposition, Ivan said his cooperation with Ukraine was driven by ideology. He believes a Russian defeat in the war could weaken President Vladimir Putin’s rule.

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/87767