Russian officer who defected helped Ukraine strike his own army, reports say

Lev Stupnikov, a former Russian lieutenant who opposed the invasion, passed intelligence to Ukraine that helped strikes killing more than 300 Russian soldiers, according to reports.

What he passed to Ukraine

• Coordinates of Russian units
• Radio frequencies
• Operational plans
• Command post locations

A communications chief in a battalion of the 36th motorized rifle brigade near Vuhledar, he began passing information to Ukraine in February 2024 and refused payment.

Killed in one strike, February 2024

68 soldiers

A strike on a training ground in the Donetsk region in February 2024 killed 68 soldiers, including 10 officers, and wounded 60 more.

His mother, Tatiana Yantsen, put him in touch with a blogger working with Ukrainian intelligence. He crossed the front line on Jul 6, 2024, and later joined the Russian Volunteer Corps.