Main points
- In Kyiv, the SBU and the State Security Service detained a Belarusian spy who worked in Ukrainian media and tried to integrate into Ukrainian intelligence to collect data.
- The detained spy, Inna Kardash, had been working for the Belarusian KGB since 2015 and used journalism as a cover for espionage missions.
In Kyiv, the SBU and the State Security Service detained a Belarusian spy / Collage of Channel 24
In Kyiv, the SBU and the State Security Service of Ukraine detained a Belarusian spy who worked for Ukrainian media. The woman was trying to “integrate” into units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, in particular, Ukrainian intelligence, and was supposed to collect data from there.
This was reported by Channel 24 with reference to the Security Service of Ukraine, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, and the Prosecutor General's Office.
What is known about the detention of a Belarusian spy in Kyiv?
According to the investigation, the espionage tasks were carried out by a 35-year-old Belarusian citizen. She had worked for the Belarusian KGB since 2015, and in 2020 she was sent from Minsk to work as an agent in Ukraine.
As a cover, the citizen used journalistic activities and for some time worked as her own correspondent in the countries of the former USSR for the “112 Channel”, which is banned in Ukraine.
The owner of this media resource is Viktor Medvedchuk. After the media assets of the Russian president's godfather were closed, the Belarusian KGB, in coordination with the top military-political leadership of Belarus, “sent” an agent to Ukraine.
Even before the start of the full-scale war, the person in question had taken a job at one of the leading media outlets in our country. She used this job and the connections of her colleagues at this media outlet to expand her personal contacts among Ukrainian politicians, the military, and foreign diplomats,
– the SBU noted.
During the full-scale invasion, the agent's supervisor instructed her to come to one of the EU countries for additional briefing. The woman crossed the border under the fabricated pretext of a medical examination.
“To contact a Belarusian special agent in the European Union, the suspect purchased a new smartphone with a “disposable” SIM card and then got rid of the gadget. During the briefing, the spy was tasked with collecting information about citizens of Belarus/Russia who are assisting Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor state,” law enforcement officials emphasized.
The agent also received an assignment from the Belarusian KGB to establish informal contacts with officials of the Chinese embassy in Ukraine to collect intelligence on the activities of Chinese diplomats.
The Prosecutor General's Office added that the 35-year-old woman established contact with representatives of the KGB of the Republic of Belarus in 2025. She agreed to confidential cooperation in exchange for a monetary reward.
How did the agent try to infiltrate the GUR?
The SBU noted that after returning to Kyiv, the agent tried to get a job at one of the headquarters units of the military intelligence of our state, where she ended up in the development of the GUR's Own Security.
As noted in the Prosecutor General's Office, the suspect collected and transmitted intelligence information about the activities of individual units of the Military Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the operational situation, internal processes, and persons involved in operational and intelligence work.
Thanks to the timely exposure of the spy, the SBU and GUR officers began a long-term operational game with the Belarusian agent, which allowed not only to document her every step, but also to regularly misinform the Belarusian special services through her,
– the Security Service emphasized.
In particular, the forces of the foreign intelligence service were refocused on copying the alleged secret information that was circulating around the spy in a controlled manner.
Among other things, our law enforcement officers recorded attempts by a citizen to select potential candidates for recruitment into the KGB intelligence apparatus of Belarus.
“Having collected a complete evidence base on the spy, the SBU, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense's Directorate of Intelligence, detained her near her place of residence. The suspect's smartphone and voice recorder, on which she recorded classified information, were seized,” the report says.
A Belarusian KGB spy was detained in Kyiv / Photo by the Ministry of Defense's Directorate of Intelligence
Currently, SBU investigators have charged a Belarusian citizen with espionage under the article of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The perpetrator is in custody and faces up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
What is the name of the Belarusian spy journalist?
According to BBC News Ukraine's sources in Ukrainian special services, the SBU and GUR report on the detention of a Belarusian spy refers to I. Kardash.
At the same time, a number of media outlets point to Inna Kardash, a former journalist for the “112” TV channel and “Interfax-Ukraine”.
The detained Belarusian spy could be Inna Kardash / Photo from the journalist's Facebook
In audio and video recordings released by the intelligence services, Kardash admits to working undercover.
I'm just more suited to the role of a spy under the guise of a journalist. That's true. I'm really good at getting information,
– she says in a conversation with the KGB curator of the Republic of Belarus.
Later in the conversation, the Belarusian intelligence officer offered Kardash 3,000 euros per month for his cooperation.
Who else of the enemy agents has the SBU detained recently?
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On January 26, it became known that the SBU detained a 21-year-old serviceman who was transmitting data on air defense locations to Russian troops. The Russian troops planned to use the received intelligence to strike at Defense Forces airfields.
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A few days earlier, Ukrainian law enforcement officers detained an FSB agent who was providing the enemy with coordinates for Kyiv CHP plants for missile strikes. She was also monitoring the movement of military equipment.
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In addition, the SBU detained two Russian intelligence agents who were recording the aftermath of the Oreshnik missile strike on the Lviv region. In this way, they provided information to the enemy to prepare for new attacks.