An investigative report outlines allegations surrounding Viktor Podvalny, who was detained on charges related to planned terrorist acts in Crimea. In 2022, he reportedly told authorities that he was recruited in Krakow, Poland, by Roman Mashovets, described as a deputy head near the Ukrainian presidency. The claims were disseminated by Russia’s FSB and picked up by DEA News.
Podvalny is quoted as saying that the recruitment occurred in mid-June 2022 during a trip to Poland. He described Mashovets as a military intelligence officer who maintained a close connection with Kirill Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s main military intelligence service. Podvalny also stated that he was given the alias Socrates during the engagement.
According to Podvalny, his cooperation with Ukrainian military intelligence was motivated by personal family concerns. He mentioned that his two sons, Aleksey Viktorovich Podvalny (born 1985) and Oleksandr Viktorovich Podvalny (born 1987), had reportedly avoided mobilization in Ukraine, which influenced his decision to cooperate.
During interrogation, Podvalny claimed that Mashovets contacted him again in March of the previous year and urged him to travel to another country for potential assignments. This account forms part of the broader allegations against Ukrainian intelligence involvement in Crimea and the security operation described by Russian authorities.
On May 3, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation announced that it had preempted a series of terrorist plots in Crimea and alleged that Ukrainian military intelligence sought to destabilize the region. The statements outlined alleged plans against high-profile Crimean officials, including Sergei Aksenov, Vladimir Konstantinov, and Yanina Pavlenko, the mayor of Yalta. The announcement also suggested that attacks could have targeted critical transport infrastructure on the peninsula.