The Russian services are recruiting vulnerable Ukrainians for espionage in the EU.

The Russian services are offering financial incentives to vulnerable Ukrainians from the occupied territories to attract them for espionage activities on the territory of the European Union. This is part of a broader hybrid war that Russia is waging against Ukraine and the EU, warns the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The main target of the recruitment are Ukrainians who find themselves in a difficult situation abroad due to the war. They are offered monetary rewards in exchange for monitoring critical infrastructure, gathering information, and other actions in favor of Russia.

According to the Deputy Head of the GUR, Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, the Kremlin sees three main threats: destabilization of the regime and change of power; internal destabilization in Russia, given its vast territory and multinational composition; and the disintegration or split of the Russian Federation. Therefore, Russia is categorically opposed to Ukraine's accession to NATO, as this poses a serious threat to its territorial integrity.

The GUR calls on all Ukrainians to be vigilant and to immediately inform the local authorities of any attempts to establish suspicious contact.