A British man accused of Russian espionage and planning “terrorist attacks” could face up to 12 years in prison
A Briton has been detained in Ukraine accused of spying for Russia and planning “terrorist attacks”.
kyiv prosecutors said the unnamed man passed sensitive information to Russian intelligence while working as a military instructor. He allegedly gathered information about facilities in Odessa, attempted to gain access to military units and discussed “the possibility of using explosive devices.” According to prosecutors, one task earned him £5,148.
Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, said in a separate statement that it had been “preparing to commit terrorist attacks,” adding that Russian spies sent it instructions to make an improvised explosive device and gave it the location of a weapons cache, from which it allegedly took a pistol and two loaded magazines.
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The man is said to have arrived in Ukraine in January 2024 and conducted “training sessions for military personnel in Mykolaiv,” a city near the front line in the south of the country. He then moved to the port city of Odessa in September, where prosecutors say he was in contact with a “representative of the Russian special service” and agreed to sell military information.
Evidence cited by prosecutors shows that in May he sent the location of Ukrainian units, photographs of training areas and personal details of military personnel. The SBU said he also had “professional skills in fire and tactical training” and openly announced on “pro-Kremlin Internet groups” that he was willing to spy.
The man was detained at his “temporary residence” in kyiv, the SBU said. He appeared in court this week and was held without bail while a pretrial investigation was conducted. According to Ukrainian security services, he could face up to 12 years in prison.
The UK Foreign Office said it was aware of the reports and is “in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities”.
This appears to be the first publicly reported case of a British citizen facing espionage charges in Ukraine.
It comes as three men, aged 44, 45 and 48, were recently arrested on suspicion of assisting Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the Metropolitan Police said. The men were detained by Counter Terrorism Police at addresses in west and central London last Thursday and remain in police custody under section 3 of the National Security Act, the force added.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London’s Counter Terrorism Police, said: “We are seeing increasing numbers of people we would describe as ‘proxies’ being recruited by foreign intelligence services and these arrests are directly linked to our ongoing efforts to disrupt this type of activity.
“Anyone who may be contacted and tempted to carry out criminal activity on behalf of a foreign state here in the UK should think again. This type of activity will be investigated and anyone involved can expect to be prosecuted and there are potentially very serious consequences for those who are convicted.”
