The investigation revealed that one of the suspects is a 24-year-old former student of a Kyiv technical university, who remained in Ukraine after being expelled in 2023 for poor academic performance. The second individual involved is his father, a permanent resident of China who travelled to Ukraine periodically to coordinate his son’s alleged espionage activities.
According to collected evidence, the former student gained access to technical documentation related to the Neptun missile system. In pursuit of this objective, he attempted to recruit a Ukrainian citizen involved in the development of advanced weaponry for the armed forces.
The SSU’s counterintelligence unit identified the suspect at an early stage and apprehended him “in the act” while he was transferring classified materials. His father was subsequently detained for allegedly relaying this sensitive information to Chinese intelligence services.
During searches of both suspects, authorities confiscated mobile phones containing correspondence that reportedly coordinated their actions. The accused now face up to 15 years in prison and the confiscation of their property.
