A Russian Officer Helped Ukraine Eliminate Hundreds Of Russian Soldiers

For several months, he secretly passed classified information to Ukrainian intelligence.

A 26-year-old lieutenant in the Russian Army Lev Stupnikov secretly passed on the coordinates of military units, operational plans, and radio frequencies to Ukrainian intelligence for several months. According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, the information he provided helped the Ukrainian Armed Forces carry out strikes that killed more than 300 Russian soldiers, writes The Wall Street Journal.

Stupnikov served as a signalman in the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade. Disillusionment with the Russian army, corruption, and opposition to the war prompted him to cooperate with Ukraine.

One of the most successful operations took place in February 2024 near Ugledar. Stupnikov photographed Russian soldiers gathered at a training ground and passed the coordinates on to the Ukrainian side.

“There must be between 120 and 150 people here,” he wrote to his contact, according to the investigation’s findings. Shortly thereafter, a missile strike hit the location where the soldiers had gathered. According to the information Stupnikov passed on to the Ukrainian side, 68 people were killed and another 60 were wounded. Among the dead was the brigade commander, Colonel Huseyn Musaev.

In the summer of 2024, when the Russian command suspected a leak of information, the officer decided to flee. On the night of July 6, he crossed the front line, navigating by GPS and with the help of a Ukrainian drone. Before leaving, he granted access to the video surveillance system of Russian drones.

After defecting to the Ukrainian side, Stupnikov joined the Russian Volunteer Corps, which is fighting against the Russian Federation’s army.

His mother helped establish contact with Ukrainian intelligence and later left Russia. Stupnikov’s wife refused to follow him and called his actions an act of betrayal.

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