Manhunt underway for killer covert 'Putin spy' who infiltrated inside Kyiv and guided horror drone attack

Manhunt underway for killer covert 'Putin spy' who infiltrated inside Kyiv and guided horror drone attack EXCLUSIVE: The Kremlin's attack on Ukraine's 'SBU' spy base in central Kyiv sparked a hunt for Putin's operative, suspected of assisting the drone assault on the final leg of its journey into the capital A major manhunt is underway for a Russian covert operative suspected of infiltrating deep into Kyiv and guiding a daylight drone attack onto Ukraine ’s top spy agency. The Friday attack was launched in the mid-afternoon and breached Ukraine’s security on the capital but points at a sinister and chilling new twist in Kremlin targeting of Kyiv. Security experts suspect the lone drone attack was assisted by a Russian spy deep inside the capital and who switched on a relay device to help control the aerial bomb. The daylight attack struck the Ukrainian “SBU” spy agency in the mid afternoon, wounding as many as 12 people and sparking alarm among Kyiv’s intelligence community. President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered his military and intelligence agencies to strike back at Russia decisively in response to the audacious attack. It is now believed an operative may have switched on a device half the size of a medium sized backpack, which boosted internet or radio access to help it on its final trajectory. Often Russian drones flying in swarms into Ukraine relay internet access to each other as they are flying beyond the reach of operators in east Ukraine or Russia. But a device called a “Mesh repeater” which extends internet access beyond the original source is thought to have been needed as the “spy base” drone was on its own. One western security analyst told the Mirror: “Ukraine will be hunting down this person as all of the conditions point towards there being somebody daringly close to the target. The fact that the drone was a lone device in the air means it had to have been given a boost, probably by somebody on the ground and Kyiv’s forces will be on their tail. “Ukraine will be actively seeking anyone carrying these devices or trying to smuggle them into the country for nefarious activities such as sabotage and guiding drones. Another unusual aspect to this attack is that it happened during daylight hours so there would be more people about, offering the opportunity to blend in and move about. “It means there is easier availability of mass to hide among people and there are nighttime curfews and checkpoints in Kyiv, making the chance of being caught high. Ukraine has successfully rolled up scores of Russian operators inside the country and people acting as agents for the Kremlin’s intelligence agencies. “But it seems the hunt is ongoing. If this person exists a lot of resources will be thrown at tracking them down.” The SBU building is just over the road from the Kyiv St Sophia cathedral, the oldest building in Kyiv and is a key part of Ukraine's war efforts as it conducts deep strikes to damage Russian infrastructure. Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said of the drone over the weekend: “My personal opinion: the Shahed was controlled and guided online via a Mesh radio repeater with internet access, which a Russian agent switched on somewhere nearby – within 5 km – for a short period during the attack.”