Russian Diversion: Agent Behind the Operation Revealed

A vehicle belonging to the 123rd Separate Artillery Brigade of the Russian army was destroyed in Sievierodonetsk, in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, on March 22, 2026, according to the Ukrainian resistance movement Atesh. The group claims the vehicle was deliberately set ablaze by a Russian soldier acting as an agent within the military.

Atesh, described as a Tatar-Ukrainian resistance movement, released a statement via its Telegram channel detailing the incident. The destroyed vehicle, marked with the “Z” symbol commonly used by Russian forces, is reported to be a complete loss and unusable. The act of sabotage occurred in the Lyman direction, an area currently experiencing intense fighting.

According to Atesh, an increasing number of Russian soldiers are choosing to cooperate and take action against their own army, citing poor service conditions and inadequate training and equipment as key motivators. The group stated, “It has ceased to be safe” regarding the logistical base in Siewierodonieck, which serves as a critical hub for Russian forces in the region, concentrating logistics, equipment, and artillery support. Atesh vowed to dismantle the “Putin’s fascist system from within.”

The incident in Siewierodonetsk comes amid reports of Russian intelligence operations targeting Ukraine and neighboring countries. In July 2022, a Russian agent was detained in Kyiv, reportedly on a significant mission, according to Polish news outlet o2.pl. More recently, in February 2024, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) arrested a Ukrainian citizen suspected of conducting diversionary and sabotage activities on behalf of Russian intelligence services, including planning arson attacks near critical infrastructure.

Concerns about Russian recruitment of Ukrainians for sabotage operations have also been raised. A former intelligence agent recently revealed details of alleged Russian recruitment tactics, as reported by Onet.

The o2.pl news portal also reported in November 2025 that British media outlets had reported on an incident involving an agent allegedly threatening a footballer with a weapon. The same source reported in March 2025 on German media commentary suggesting that former U.S. President Donald Trump was being treated as an agent by Russian President Vladimir Putin.