British Man Unmasked as Military Trainer Turned Russian Spy in Ukraine

A man accused of spying for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Ukraine – after initially arriving as a military trainer – has been confirmed as a British national.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the man’s arrest on Wednesday without specifying his nationality.

But Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said the accused is a British national in its Wednesday press release.

Previously, the SBU wrote that the man initially came to Ukraine in early 2024 as an instructor for mobilized troops due to his “professional skills in fire and tactical training” but later leaked information about other foreign trainers and the locations of training centers to the FSB.

It is unclear whether the man served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces (i.e., enlisted under a military contract) or worked for a private organization in Ukraine.

The Prosecutor General’s Office provided more details of the man’s work as a trainer, adding that he “conducted instructor classes for military personnel” in southern Ukraine’s Mykolaiv before serving briefly “in one of the border detachments.”

The SBU said the man stopped working after a few months and tried to make extra money by offering his services to Russian intelligence by posting on pro-Kremlin channels, after which an FSB officer approached him when he moved to Odesa.

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He was also reportedly instructed by the FSB to build an improvised explosive device (IED) and retrieve a hidden cache containing “a pistol with two loaded magazines” for an unspecified attack.

The Prosecutor General’s Office said the man received $6,000 for one of the FSB assignments.

The man was arrested before the planned attack, with the Prosecutor’s General Office adding that he is detained without bail. The man faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Britain’s foreign ministry told AFP on Thursday that it was “aware of reports that a British national has been detained in Ukraine,” adding that it “[remains] in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities” on the case.

While the SBU has routinely reported about the arrests of locals spying for Russian intelligence – including former and serving military personnel – the mention of foreign spies remains a rare occurrence.