"Fight Against Evil": Russian Couple Who Became Spy Informants For Ukraine

When the first rocket screamed over their roof, Sergei and Tatyana Voronkov's peaceful life in rural Ukraine was shattered in an instant. The couple fled Russia years earlier, hoping to escape the Kremlin's tightening grip over those openly opposing Vladimir Putin.

They never imagined that by seeking refuge in Ukraine, they would become targets in a deadly conflict, interrogated in dark basements, and forced to send secret intelligence, all while living under constant threat.

Their story began in 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea. Sergei and Tatyana, both Russian citizens, had long been vocal critics of Putin. They condemned Russia's actions to friends and acquaintances. In response, they were told if they didn't like it, they could leave.

So, they did.

They decided to relocate to Ukraine, Tatyana's birthplace, hoping for a new start.

By 2019, they settled in Novolyubymivka, a quiet village of about 300 people in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region. They raised livestock, adopted four dogs, and Sergei found work as a land surveyor, drawing on skills he gained in the Soviet army. Life was calm. Until the rockets came.

In February 2022, Tatyana, 52, heard "something whistling, something flying." Russia had launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"I went outside. A rocket was flying right over the house. I went on the internet to see what had happened and they wrote that Kyiv had already been bombed," she told the BBC.

Suddenly, their village was under Russian occupation. Instead of fleeing, the couple decided to fight back in their own way. When a Russian military convoy passed their home, Tatyana messaged an acquaintance in Kyiv, who connected them to a secret Telegram chatbot. Soon, someone with a unique identifier was in touch, asking for information about Russian military equipment they spotted. Missile systems, tanks, electronic warfare devices.

"We didn't think of it as treason," Tatyana said. "Nobody attacked Russia. This was a fight against evil."

For two years, Sergei gathered precise coordinates while Tatyana sent the data to Ukraine's security services. She deleted the messages as soon as they were sent. Their information helped Ukrainian forces target Russian troops more effectively.

In April 2024, Sergei was apprehended by armed men while shopping in Tokmak. He was thrown into a dark basement pit, barely big enough to stand in, where he endured brutal interrogations. A bag was kept over his head. He was threatened and pressured to confess to espionage.

After four days, fearing he might accidentally incriminate others under torture, Sergei admitted his role.

Tatyana desperately searched for him, calling hospitals, morgues, and authorities. Ten days after Sergei's arrest, their home was raided, and $4,400 (Rs 37.4 lakh) they had hidden in the garden was confiscated. Tatyana was told her husband was "sitting in a basement" with Russia's security service, the FSB.

After 37 days in captivity, Sergei was forced to record a confession on camera but was shockingly released two days later, without explanation, and stripped of his documents.

Under constant surveillance, the couple knew they could not stay.

Their plan was risky. They needed to get Sergei a new passport, which meant returning to Russia. With help from neighbours who bought their livestock and household goods, and after arranging new homes for their dogs, the couple prepared to leave.

To avoid suspicion, they invented a story. They were going to the beach for fresh air for Tatyana's asthma. Sergei packed a straw hat and a rubber ring to make the story believable.

They were not stopped.

Though initially denied entry into Russia, Sergei eventually got a certificate proving he had applied for a new passport. After delays and a failed attempt to exit via Belarus, Sergei resorted to buying a fake passport through Telegram. They travelled by bus to Belarus, crossed the border with the forged document, and then entered Lithuania, a safe haven and ally of Ukraine.

Sergei was detained by Lithuanian authorities for the fake passport and found guilty in court. Now, the couple lives in a shelter for asylum seekers, hoping to rebuild their lives far from war.

In recognition of their bravery, the Ukrainian army sent them a letter of thanks, which the BBC has seen.

Yet, the price has been steep. Their son, who lives in Moscow, cut ties with them, angered by their actions. Sergei's elderly mother remains loyal to Putin and the war.

Despite this, the couple are adamant they will never return to Russia. "Only if it starts showing some humanity," Sergei said. "For now, I see nothing human there."