A British national has been arrested in Ukraine on suspicion of spying for Russia and plotting terrorist attacks, Ukrainian prosecutors have said.
Authorities in Kyiv allege that the man, who has not been publicly named, was collaborating with Russian intelligence services and agreed to provide military information in exchange for money. He is accused of “unauthorised dissemination of information about the defence forces during martial law” — a charge that carries a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison.
In a separate statement, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) said the man was preparing to carry out terrorist acts and had “offered his services” to Russian special services through pro-Kremlin online groups.
The SSU claim he was later contacted by a member of the FSB, Russia’s secret police, and provided with instructions for assembling an improvised explosive device (IED).
“The occupiers provided him with instructions for making an IED,” the SSU said. “They also sent him the coordinates of a weapons cache, from which he retrieved a pistol with two loaded magazines.”
The man was reportedly arrested at a temporary residence in Kyiv, where he had been living since earlier this year.
Worked as military instructor in Ukraine
According to prosecutors, the man arrived in Ukraine in January 2024 and initially worked as a military instructor in the southern city of Mykolaiv, training Ukrainian forces. He is later said to have joined a border unit before moving to Odesa, where he allegedly came into contact with a representative of Russian intelligence.
Prosecutors allege that he agreed to pass on sensitive information — including the coordinates of Ukrainian military units and photographs of training areas — in exchange for payment.
In May 2025, he is said to have sent the information to his Russian contacts and received $6,000 for completing one assignment.
Ukrainian investigators believe he was preparing additional acts of sabotage and espionage when he was detained.
“The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, with operational support from counterintelligence units,” prosecutors said.
Court orders detention without bail
The suspect appeared in court earlier this week, where a judge ordered that he be held in custody without bail pending further investigation.
Neither the UK government nor the British embassy in Kyiv has yet commented on the case. The man’s identity has not been released, and details about his background remain unclear.
The case is the latest in a series of arrests by Ukrainian authorities targeting suspected Russian spies and collaborators since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Kyiv has repeatedly warned that Russia is intensifying its intelligence operations in the country, using both local agents and foreign nationals.
The SSU said the investigation was ongoing and that further charges could follow.
