GPS trackers on fuel tankers were supposed to help Russia strike oil depots in southern Ukraine

In Odesa, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine detained a 20-year-old man suspected of collaborating with Russian intelligence services. Investigators link his actions to preparations for missile and drone strikes on oil depots in southern Ukraine.

The detainee had previously studied at a university in Odesa and worked part-time as a loader at a post office. After being expelled from university, he began looking for easy money in Telegram channels — according to investigators, this was how he came to the attention of Russian intelligence services.

According to investigators, the man’s initial task was to photograph the aftermath of Russian attacks on Odesa. He was later instructed to locate Ukrainian oil depots whose coordinates the Russian military could use to launch strikes with missiles and attack drones.

To do this, the Russian side planned to track the routes taken by fuel tankers. The locations where they refueled were expected to lead the intelligence services to fuel storage facilities and help determine their coordinates.

Investigators found that the suspect had attached at least two GPS trackers that Russian intelligence services could access remotely. The devices were placed on:

• a military fuel tanker;
• a civilian fuel tanker.

SSU officers managed to find and remove the trackers before the man was detained. During searches, they seized his smartphone, which contained evidence that, according to investigators, confirms his cooperation with the Russian side.

The man was notified that he is suspected of treason under Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, committed under martial law. He is in custody without the right to bail. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Previously, we reported:

• In a cassock and with Google Maps: UOC (MP) cleric suspected of directing missiles at Odesa
• “Easy money” landed him in pretrial detention: young man leaked the aftermath of strikes on Kyiv to the enemy
• “Schoolboy as a sidekick”: how a Russian agent drew a child from Mykolaiv region into treason
• Child agents detained for filming Ukrainian Armed Forces positions with dashcams in 7 regions, including Mykolaiv
• He wanted to leave Kyiv without power — instead of money from the Russians, he’ll get life in prison from Ukraine