British man arrested in Kyiv for ‘preparing to commit terrorist attacks,’ Ukraine says

Ukraine's Security Service and counterintelligence investigators have detained an alleged Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent in Kyiv, who was revealed to be a British citizen, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Oct. 29.

The identity of the British citizen has not been disclosed.

The British citizen arrived in Ukraine at the beginning of 2024 to work as an instructor training newly-mobilized troops. A few months later, he allegedly stopped teaching and began cooperating with Russian intelligence services, reportedly for "easy earnings."

The man offered his services in pro-Kremlin online groups before being recruited by an FSB officer, who assigned him operational tasks, the SBU said, claiming he was "preparing to commit terrorist attacks."

The suspect also passed sensitive information about Ukrainian forces to Russia, including details on foreign instructors and the locations of military training centers in southern Ukraine, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.

Russian intelligence reportedly provided the British citizen with instructions for making an improvised explosive device to carry out the next assignment, along with the location of a hiding place from which he retrieved a pistol loaded with two magazines.

SBU counterintelligence uncovered the plot and detained the British citizen.

The suspect is now in custody and faces up to 12 years in prison, along with possible property confiscation.

Authorities are investigating to determine all the circumstances of the case and whether additional charges may apply.

Russia continues to recruit Ukrainian and foreign nationals for subversive operations amid its full-scale invasion. Children are also targeted, often lured through social media and online games.