SBU detains British instructor, whom media links to spying for Russia
The Security Service of Ukraine detained a British citizen who arrived in Ukraine in 2024 as a military instructor. This was reported by Ukrainian media, in particular RBC-Ukraine, citing its own sources.
According to media reports, the foreigner could have been an agent of the Russian special services, He worked undercover as a trainer and had access to the curriculum, logistics and internal information of the units he was training.
At the time of publication, there were no official SBU comments on the details of the detention.
Accusations made by the media
According to media sources, the detainee could:
Gather intelligence for the Russian Federation,
export and transfer weapons,
acting as part of an agent network working for Russia.
The media also reported on unconfirmed statements the foreigner's possible involvement in a number of serious crimes in Ukraine, including the deaths of several public figures.
As of now, the SBU has not officially confirmed this information.
What we know about the instructor
According to preliminary data from journalists:
The man arrived in Ukraine in 2024 as part of an international training programme for the Ukrainian military;
had access to training grounds, training centres and certain materials that could be of interest to foreign intelligence;
was in active contact with the military and volunteers, which could have made it easier for him to gather information.
According to the investigation, he also had the logistical capabilities to transport weapons and equipment, which he allegedly used.
Context.
Over the past two years, the SBU has regularly reported the detection of foreign agents acting under the guise of volunteers, instructors, doctors or journalists. Russian intelligence services are actively trying to infiltrate the Ukrainian defence-related environment using such «invisible» roles.
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