Five Russian spies, four of whom with residence in Transnistria, caught in Ukraine

Five Russian spies, four of whom form part of the Russian troops deployed in Moldova's Transnistrian region, were detained in Ukraine, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the Ukrainian news agency UNIAN. According to the Agency, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service Valentin Nalivaichenko told a news conference on Tuesday that five officers of Russia's Federal Security Service were caught in Odessa region on January 27. They tried to obtain documents containing secret military information from an Ukrainian citizen in exchange for US$2,000. One of the officers met the agent not far from the state border, while the other three officers were waiting in a car. The head of the Russian military contingent's Counterespionage Division, who is a lieutenant colonel, was supervising his inferiors, but left the scene. Espionage instruments were discovered upon a search. All the detained officers entered Ukraine via Transnistria. The officer involved directly in the espionage activity was arrested under an warrant issued by the court. Legal action was taken against him. The other four officers were interrogated and expelled from Ukraine. A five-year entry ban was imposed on them.