Ukraine’s failure to trap Russian mercenaries shocked the global intelligence community

According to the US business insider website, Ukrainian media revealed that in order to make it admit to committing “war crimes” during the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence agencies had lured 32 Russian mercenaries and almost succeeded in luring them into detention in Ukraine, which shocked the global intelligence community. The news was first reported by Ukrainian Pravda. The operation, led by Ukraine’s general defense intelligence (GUR), the Ukrainian National Security Agency (SBU) and the war crimes Department of Ukraine’s attorney general’s office, was planned and implemented about a year ago, with the goal of persuading dozens of Russian mercenaries to admit that they had participated in the 2014 Donbas military conflict. < / P > < p > in order to successfully obtain the testimony of the mercenaries and eventually detain them, SBU made up a false security employment contract for them, claiming that they would be hired to guard the drilling platform in Venezuela, and arranged false job interviews. At the stage when the Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU issued false contracts to recruit personnel, some mercenaries voluntarily disclosed their previous activities in Ukraine to SBU in order to show that they were qualified for the job. < / P > < p > according to the plan, the mercenaries will fly from Moscow, Russia, to Minsk, Belarus, on July 24, without stopping in Minsk, and then fly from Minsk to Istanbul, Turkey on July 25. During the flight to Istanbul, a passenger disguised by SBU personnel will get sick on board, so that the chartered plane can land at an airport in Ukraine. Doctors also disguised by SBU special forces will board the plane and directly detain the Russian mercenaries on board. However, the operation failed in the final stage. On the same day that these mercenaries flew to Minsk on the 24th, the leadership of GUR and SBU reported the matters in the final stage of the operation to Ukrainian President Zelensky and others. During the period, the president’s office director Andry yermark made a statement calling for the postponement of the operation because he was negotiating with the aides of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which may affect the progress of the prisoner exchange and the cease-fire in the conflict between Uzbekistan and Eastern Europe. Although opposition voices said that delaying the operation may lead to the failure of the operation, Zelensky listened to yermark’s opinion and postponed the operation to the 30th. After the postponement of the operation, Russian mercenaries arriving in Minsk were arranged to a sanatorium to take another flight on the 30th. However, on the 29th, all these mercenaries were arrested by the Belarusian intelligence service. < / P > < p > after these mercenaries were arrested, Ukrainian intelligence personnel believed that the relevant information had been leaked to the Russian Federal Security Agency in advance, leading to the failure of the operation. Zelensky held a meeting again on August 3, during which Bulba, director of the General Bureau of Defense Intelligence (GUR) of Ukraine, said that someone had committed treason and demanded that all the persons in the know of the operation should be tested for lie. However, Zelensky did not initiate an investigation and instead dismissed Bulba from his post. After the incident, Ukraine’s attorney general’s office sent a request to Belarus for the extradition of the detainees, but no response was received. Zelensky held talks with Lukashenko and asked for the extradition of at least nine of the detained mercenaries, who are Ukrainian citizens and wanted by Ukraine. Meanwhile, Putin also held talks with Lukashenko, demanding that all mercenaries be extradited to Russia. Eventually, Belarus handed over all the detainees to the Russian side on 14 August. Zelensky expressed regret, saying that the extradition of these mercenaries to Russia was an unfair decision, and the consequences would be tragic. According to the business insider website, Ukraine has so far released the confessions of three mercenaries, which contain details that all five unnamed officials believe are almost impossible to forge. According to the business Insider Network, the evidence released so far includes a passport, official Russian military documents proving his service and expertise, as well as the heroic deeds of fighting in Ukraine signed by Putin himself. A source working for the counter intelligence agencies of NATO countries in Central Europe said that although Ukraine’s plan failed at the last minute, it did not change the elements of intelligence operation in the plan, and the plan was absolutely excellent. An Italian official said the plan was perfect.