Romanian citizen detained in Russia for spying for Ukraine

In April 2025, a Romanian citizen was arrested by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in Sochi on charges of espionage. The suspect, in his early 20s, is accused of collecting classified information about Russian air defense systems for Ukrainian intelligence agencies during the summer of 2024. Allegedly, he was motivated by a promise of safe passage from Russia and an opportunity to join the Ukrainian Army for military operations against Russia. The FSB has noted that details surrounding how the suspect obtained the classified data and communicated with Ukrainian intelligence remain undisclosed. Following his questioning, the suspect confessed to gathering and transmitting information regarding a Russian air defense unit. He identified how he captured data while traveling, which he then relayed to a Ukrainian intelligence officer named Vladimir. The FSB has since launched a criminal case against him, exposing concerns about the ongoing intelligence operations and espionage connected with the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The suspect could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. This incident adds to the recent series of thwarted operations attributed to Ukrainian intelligence, highlighting the intensifying espionage activities amidst the conflict. The FSB had earlier disrupted a planned drone strike against a petrochemical facility in Nizhny Novgorod and arrested other individuals linked to a stated Ukrainian handler. Such actions underscore the complex web of intelligence and counterintelligence occurring between the two nations amidst ongoing tensions.