Ukrainian Arrested For Conspiring With Russian Army, Used Zello To Send Location Info

A Ukrainian individual has been arrested on suspicion of sending crucial military information to the Russian army through a mobile app, authorities said.

Investigators for the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine on Thursday revealed they detained an individual after he sent information about the location of Ukrainian troops to members of the Russian army. The prosecutors said the information was sent through the mobile application “Zello.” The application is marketed as a push-to-talk walkie-talkie app that allows for private conversations over cell networks and Wi-Fi.

The individual, whose identity was not revealed, is also accused of handing over the coordinates of a Ukrainian army deployment site in the Donetsk region. The area later suffered a missile strike by the Russian army.

Over the past few weeks, authorities in Ukraine have detained several individuals believed to be conspiring with the Russian forces amid the war. Earlier this week, officials for the Security Service of Ukraine revealed they detained the head of the Pervomaisk Amalgamated Territorial Community of Mykolaiv Oblast and the deputy of the Pervomaisk village council on suspicion of helping Russian soldiers occupy the town.

According to the report, the officials offered Russian troops attempting to take over the town with accommodations, food, technical resources and materials. In addition, the two local government officials were also accused of preventing locals from resisting the soldiers or defending the village. The area later fell under Russian occupation.

In mid-May, the Ukrainian Secret Service also captured several individuals accused of working as spies for Russia. One of the rebels had previously worked for the police department in the Dnipropetrovsk region as well as the Interior Ministry. The spy was allegedly recruiting “like-minded people” to join him in his rebellious acts against Ukraine.

As the war in Ukraine stretches into its fourth month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address that at least 20% of Ukrainian territory has been taken over by Russia and that the eastern Donbas region is “almost entirely destroyed.”