**Russia’s Plans Foiled: Ukraine Catches Spy Red-Handed**
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has made another significant catch, this time apprehending a Russian agent who was caught filming a military airfield in preparation for a potential Russian strike. The SBU reported on June 15 that the agent, a 24-year-old unemployed man, had been recruited by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) to gather coordinates for air attacks on Ukrainian airfields and logistical depots.
The FSB allegedly instructed the agent to find military facilities and conduct reconnaissance on the ground in exchange for “easy money.” The SBU caught him red-handed while filming an airfield in Rivne Oblast with a hidden camera. They seized his phone and camera, as well as other evidence from his apartment.
If found guilty, the agent faces life imprisonment for high treason. This is just one of many instances where the SBU has foiled Russian agents and terrorist plots against military and civilian targets. The FSB often targets unemployed people, those with criminal records, or addicts to carry out their missions.
**Russia’s Ongoing Aggression**
The recent incidents highlight Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine. Just last month, the SBU detained nine FSB agents, including five minors, for plotting terrorist attacks in central and eastern Ukraine. More than a fifth of FSB recruits in Ukraine are minors.
In other news, Ukrainian forces have been making significant gains against Russian forces. They have neutralized 159 out of 183 attack drones launched by Russia, as well as shooting down two Kinzhal ballistic missiles and six cruise missiles. The number of casualties suffered by Russian forces just over the past day stands at 1,170.
**International Developments**
The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has also had international implications. Iran has partially suspended production at its South Pars gas field after an Israeli airstrike triggered a fire. Germany plans to increase domestic military spending in response to Russia’s ongoing threat and amid calls by US President Donald Trump for Europe to shoulder more of its own defense.
Russia has also been accused of transferring 50 children from the occupied Antratsyt district of Luhansk Oblast to a so-called rehabilitation camp in Kalmykia. The request comes as Israel continues its assault on Iranian targets and warns that it lacks the capability to destroy Fordow uranium enrichment site alone.
**Ukraine’s Response**
The Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) has also been making significant gains, destroying three Russian air defense systems using drones in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The suspects allegedly demanded $200,000 in exchange for facilitating the successful testing and adoption of five radio electronic warfare systems provided to Ukraine at no cost.
In another development, a group of students and teachers from Chernivtsi Oblast were returning from an academic exchange when their bus veered off the road in France on June 13. “Today, among those returning to Ukraine, many have been in captivity since 2022,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War reported that bodies, claimed by Russian authorities to belong to Ukrainian nationals, were returned as part of an ongoing phased exchange process.
**Strengthening Defenses**
Ukraine’s Air Force has also been working to strengthen defenses against Russian strike drones. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi held a meeting focused on strengthening defenses against Russian strike drones, particularly Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russian forces to target Ukrainian cities.
As part of efforts to reduce Russia’s ability to produce explosives and ammunition, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ drone systems struck critical facilities of Russia’s military-industrial complex overnight. The number includes 1,130 casualties that Russian forces suffered just over the past day, according to the General Staff.
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