A military court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Ukrainian spy Tatyana Popova to 13 years in a penal colony for gathering military intelligence and inciting terrorism. The press service of the Southern District Military Court announced the sentence, confirming the details of the verdict to news outlet Lenta.ru.
The court found Popova guilty of contacting an officer from the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to receive assignments. Ukrainian intelligence handlers instructed her to collect information regarding military equipment operated by the Russian Armed Forces.
In December 2023, Popova identified temporary deployment locations for Russian military transport units across the city of Donetsk. She went to a parking lot where Russian Armed Forces vehicles were parked, photographed UAZ utility vehicles, and transmitted the pictures directly to her contact in Ukrainian intelligence.
Investigators also charged Popova over statements published online the following summer. On July 9, 2024, she published two posts urging the Armed Forces of Ukraine to launch airstrikes against targets on Russian territory.
Military Intelligence Operations in Donetsk
Donetsk is a major industrial city in eastern Ukraine currently under the control of Russian forces, while Rostov-on-Don is a southern Russian city that serves as a regional administrative and military logistics hub. The Main Directorate of Intelligence, commonly referred to as GUR, acts as the executive intelligence agency for the Ukrainian defense ministry, coordinating reconnaissance and security operations. UAZ vehicles, produced by the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant, are standard four-wheel-drive utility vehicles widely deployed across Russian military units.
Prior Convictions in Espionage Cases
The conviction of Popova follows other espionage trials heard by military courts in the region. Russian authorities previously sentenced a 37-year-old resident of the Lugansk People's Republic to 18 years in a strict-regime penal colony after finding him guilty of spying for Ukraine.
