January 28, Pozirk. A 35-year-old Belarusian woman was arrested in Kyiv on suspicion of acting as a deeply undercover agent for the Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB) for more than a decade, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported yesterday.
In 2020, she was sent from Minsk to work as an agent in Ukraine, the SBU said, citing case files. The suspect operated under the cover of journalistic work, it noted.
The woman reportedly secured a job at one of Ukraine’s leading media outlets before Russia launched its full-scale war in February 2022. She used her position and professional contacts to expand her network among Ukrainian politicians, military personnel and foreign diplomats, the agency said.
The SBU released several audio recordings in which the suspect talks to her presumed KGB handler, who promised her renumeration of €3,000.
The agency added that the arrested woman was tasked with gathering information on Belarusians and Russians assisting Ukraine and attempted to identify potential candidates for KGB recruitment.
The SBU report did not name the suspect and blurred the videos and photographs. However, biographical details suggest she may be Belarusian journalist Ina Kardaš. Ukrainian media outlets that covered the story also mentioned this name.
