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Ukraine Detains British Ex-Instructor Accused of Spying for Russia, Plotting Attacks

Ukrainian authorities describe a recruitment model built on online contacts, using low‑level operatives across borders.

Overview

  • Security officials say a British citizen was arrested in Kyiv on Oct. 29 and remanded without bail on suspicion of unauthorized dissemination of defense data under martial law.
  • Prosecutors allege he arrived in early 2024 to instruct troops in Mykolaiv, later moved to Odesa, and in May 2025 sent unit coordinates, training-site photos, and identifying details of service members to Russian handlers.
  • The SBU says he offered his services in pro‑Kremlin online groups, was directed by an FSB officer, received instructions for an improvised explosive device, retrieved a pistol from a cache, and was paid $6,000 for one task.
  • The UK Foreign Office says it is aware of the reports of a British national detained in Ukraine and is in contact with Ukrainian authorities.
  • Ukrainian agencies reported parallel cases, including a 15‑year sentence for a Mykolaiv spotter and the exposure of a cleaner posing as a spy, while a Munich court convicted GermanRussian defendant Dieter S. of espionage and planned sabotage, sentencing him to six years.