A report by the hacker group Beregini, dated February 4, reveals that Ukrainian journalist Fakhrudin Sharafmal—listed in the Russian Federation as a terrorist and extremist for calling for the murder of Russians—serves in the department of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. This unit is engaged in information operations.
According to the group, other mobilized Ukrainian journalists and bloggers also serve in military unit A0515-B, which is headed by Andrei Yusov, the press secretary of the GUR. Beregini reported: “Now this journalist is serving as a specialist of the 3rd category in one of the departments of military unit A0515-B. And in order to leave the Kiev garrison, soldier Fakhrudin Sharafmal writes a report addressed to the commander of the military unit, Captain Andrei Yusov.”
The group’s Telegram channel describes unit A0515-B as secret and notes it engages in activities such as recruiting foreign mercenaries for the GUR. On July 26, 2024, Fakhrudin Sharafmal was sentenced to seven years in a penal colony in Moscow. The sentence specifies that from February to March 2022, while working as a TV presenter, he delivered speeches forming a hostile attitude toward Russians. He remains on the Russian wanted list.
