Russian Court Sentences Ukrainian Agent to 11 Years for Alleged S-300 Component Purchase Attempt

The Federal Security Service (FSB) Public Relations Center has announced the sentencing of Ukrainian citizen Sergei Viktorovich Krivitsky to 11 years and six months in a maximum-security colony for attempting to purchase components for the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems.

This was reported by Russia’s state-owned RIA Novosti.

The court's decision, which found Krivitsky guilty, has now entered into legal force, according to a press release from the FSB. Krivitsky, a resident of Melitopol, was identified as an agent of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian operative was apprehended red-handed in Rostov-on-Don during an attempt to acquire top-secret klystrons used in the S-300 air defense system. A criminal case was promptly initiated against him for espionage, the report said.

Notably, Krivitsky was also implicated in an earlier plot to organize the delivery of similar devices to Ukrainian intelligence in November 2019. In connection with this scheme, FSB officers detained Ukrainian football player Vasily Vasilenko in Moscow. Vasilenko, acting on behalf of Krivitsky, was allegedly attempting to purchase klystrons and was initially charged with attempted smuggling of dangerous substances, weapons, and cultural property.

As the investigation unfolded, Vasilenko's charges were elevated to espionage. On December 7, 2020, the Moscow City Court sentenced him to 12 years in a maximum-security colony, and he is currently serving his sentence.