British man arrested in Ukraine ‘spying for Russia’ and ‘trading secre | World | News
A British man in Ukraine has been accused of spying for Russia in exchange for money, Ukrainian officials have claimed. The man was paid to pass information to Russian intelligence after working as a military instructor near the front lines in the southern city of Mykolaiv. Ukrainian security service (SBU) reported that the unnamed British citizen presented himself as a spy using “various pro-Kremlin internet groups”. Officials told the BBC there was evidence that he passed on troop locations, photographs of training areas and information about military personnel.
According to prosecutors, the man had been in Ukraine since January 2024 and was giving “training lessons for military personnel in Mykolaiv.” The man later worked in Ukrainian border units before quitting working as a military instructor in September 2024. He then moved to Odessa, where he “established contact with a representative of the Russian special service and agreed to provide military information in exchange for money”.
The man is also accused of collecting information about facilities in Odessa, trying to break into military units and even discussing “the possibility of using explosives.” The SBU reported that the man was “preparing to carry out a terrorist attack” and was paid £5,148 for one of the missions.
The SBU statement stated that Russian spies also sent the man instructions on how to make explosive devices and where to find weapons, adding that the British later took a pistol and two loaded magazines from the stash. The man was eventually detained at his “temporary residence” in Kiev.
He appeared in court this week and is being held without bail while a pretrial investigation is conducted. He could face up to 12 years in prison.
Putin warned that foreign fighters fighting on Kiev’s side should be “destroyed”. According to The Sun, Russia accused NATO of keeping troops in the field and claimed that it routinely intercepts English and French radio communications in active battle areas.
NATO rejected this, stating that its support for Ukraine was limited to providing weapons, training and intelligence and did not include the deployment of personnel.
