Ukraine’ security agency, the SBU, said it exposed a group of Russian spies involved in a ‘coordination’ effort of Russian troops in the first days of their push to Kyiv.

The group  included several Kyiv residents and was led by a woman who had been recruited by Russian intelligence agencies during her earlier trips to Russia.

‘A few months ahead of the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the spy ring was ‘activated’ on the informational field. They started to spread pro-Russian videos and publication on social media,’ said the SBU in a statement on Thursday.

In the run-up to the February invasion, the leader of the spy ring was commanded to start collecting the information about the defense campaign in Kyiv as Russians were curious about sites of the Ukrainian troops’ positions and assessments of security at the military bases, as well as social infrastructure, energy supplies, transport, and medical care facilities.

The two spies were pressed charges while a third one is already facing a trial.