It turns out that being the chief of staff of Ukraine's anti-terrorism center doesn't make you immune to a massive skill issue. Colonel Dmytro Kozyura just found out the hard way that when you wear state epaulets and try to play double-agent for Russian handlers, the end of the road is a life sentence. The Shevchenkivskyy District Court in Kyiv officially threw the book at him, convicting him of high treason under martial law and throwing in illegal weapons handling charges just for good measure.

Kozyura's side hustle began back in 2018 when the Russian FSB recruited him in Vienna. His handler, a guy named Yuriy Shatalov, let him sit on the shelf for a few years before hitting him up again in December 2024. Once active, Kozyura agreed to hand over state secrets for financial reward. He was tasked with collecting details on where Ukrainian forces were moving, weapon systems, critical infrastructure, and even spying on SBU command posts.

He was even keeping score for the other team, systematically reporting back on the aftermath of Russian strikes, including the number of wounded soldiers and civilians. He was doing all of this while in "constant communication" with his handlers, sending over documents marked "secret" like they were casual texts.

But the SBU was already running a masterclass in counter-espionage under the banner of "Operation Rat." SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk had his boys monitoring Kozyura's every step around the clock. They tracked him down to a Kyiv safehouse where he was using a separate burner phone and a dedicated Wi-Fi router to send his little updates. It’s peak comedy: the man in charge of anti-terrorism thought his setup was secure, while the SBU was watching his screen over his shoulder the entire time.

Instead of arresting him immediately, the SBU decided to feed the troll. They used Kozyura's compromised line to flood Russian forces with a massive wave of disinformation. While the FSB thought they were getting the premium scoop, they were actually getting absolute garbage fed to them by Ukrainian counterintelligence. Meanwhile, the SBU made sure Kozyura couldn't lay his hands on any actual, high-value intelligence.

The game officially ended in February 2025 when the SBU finally bagged him. They even posted a photo of SBU boss Vasyl Malyuk standing next to the captured colonel to let everyone know the rat had been caught.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko didn't mince words after the sentencing, pointing out that Kozyura was a career officer who had access to the most sensitive files in the country. "Anyone who wears Ukrainian epaulets and begins working for the FSB becomes an enemy of Ukraine," Kravchenko said, adding that only the absolute harshest punishment is appropriate for people who sell out their country.

Since the invasion kicked off in February 2022, Kyiv has been on a massive house-cleaning campaign, exposing Russian agents left and right. Kozyura is just the latest high-profile casualty of his own greed, proving once again that when you try to sell out your country to the FSB, you're going to end up behind bars for the rest of your life.

Sources: * Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Public Affairs * Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine * Shevchenkivskyy District Court of Kyiv Case Files