What changed
A BBC documentary gives rare access to two Russian men who say they work with Ukraine’s military intelligence inside Russia. Ivan describes reconnaissance and hiding drone components near military sites; Foma says he runs an undercover volunteer network that gathers intelligence on Russian officers.
Ukraine’s GUR confirmed both men work for the agency, but the specific operations they describe cannot be independently verified. Foma also said he supplied intelligence on Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov before Sarvarov was killed by an explosive device in Moscow in December 2025.
Why it matters
The documentary points to a war fought not only across a front line, but through hidden networks inside Russia. Ivan’s account suggests that a person living among the intended targets can help turn a distant drone operation into a locally prepared attack. Foma’s role shows a different function: identifying people and places that Ukrainian intelligence may consider important.
That makes the Russian volunteers useful, but also difficult to measure. Ukraine acknowledges using secret agents and coordinated drone attacks against what it calls legitimate military targets, while officially avoiding responsibility for targeted killings. The men’s own claims remain uncertain, and Foma’s estimate of 300 to 500 volunteers cannot be verified.
The clearest significance is political as well as military. Ivan says he believes the future of Vladimir Putin’s government depends on the war’s outcome and that sabotage is intended to hasten its fall. Whether these networks can affect that outcome is unknown. But their existence, if sustained, would give Ukraine a way to apply pressure inside Russia without publicly claiming each operation.
Comments
No comments yet.