Donetsk, Apr 28 - DAN. The Donetsk People’s Republic State Security Ministry (MGB) dismantled a Ukrainian secret service spy ring in the Republic.
The Ukrainian agents were identified as Andrey Dorozhkin, 35 and Vladimir Shabutsky, 30. Their superior was Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer Maxim Arkhipenko (Arkhipov, according to some sources).
"MGB officers detained Dorozhkin and Shabutsky in November 2019. Criminal proceedings against them were opened under DPR Criminal Code Article 321 (Espionage)".
Dorozhkin returned to Ukraine after serving in DPR militia from May to June 2014. In September, he was detained by Ukrainian law-enforcers on suspicion of “setting up illegal paramilitary formations or involvement in their activity.” To avoid punishment, Dorozhkin agreed to work for the SBU.
“He agreed to cooperate in identifying the persons associated with the DPR militia, visit the DPR to locate the Republic’s armed forces and recruit people to serve in DPR militia to collect sensitive information and pass it to the SBU,” the MGB said.
In October 2019, Dorozhkin was tasked with accompanying Shabutsky to the DPR; the latter had agreed to cooperate with the SBU and even had firearms training at an SBU firing range. Shabutsky was ordered to join DPR militia for gathering intelligence for the SBU.
“As the DPR MGB eliminated the spy ring in the Republic in the person of Dorozhkin and Shabutsky, SBU’s Arkhipenko scrambled to recruit a new agent and give him the same assignment, i.e. join the DPR militia", the MGB added.
He hastily recruited Nikolai Buturlimov, 38. However, unable to withstand pressure from the SBU, Buturlimov decided not to return to Ukrainian-held territory any more and turned himself in to the MGB. He was exempted from criminal liability for acting in good faith,” the MGB said.*jk