Ukraine detains British ex-military trainer suspected of spying for Russia, SBU source says
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional details.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained British citizen Ross David Cutmore, who came to Ukraine as a military instructor, on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence, an SBU source told the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 2.
The security agency announced Cutmore's detention on Oct. 29 without disclosing his name at the time, presenting him as a "former military instructor" from Europe who was covertly working for Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) from Kyiv.
A number of foreign veterans have flocked to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 to serve as instructors or volunteers in the Ukrainian military.
Cutmore arrived in Ukraine in early 2024 to train Ukrainian soldiers in the use of firearms and tactical skills.
Several months later, the military trainer left the job and reached out to Russian intelligence services with an offer of collaboration, seeking "easy money," the SBU said in October.
According to the investigation, Cutmore was passing information on Ukraine's military to Russia and was plotting unspecified "terrorist attacks." The suspect is in custody and faces up to 12 years in prison.
The British Foreign Ministry confirmed that it is "providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Ukraine."
"We remain in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities," a ministry spokesperson told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the SBU, an FSB handler tasked the British man with collecting information about other foreign military trainers and the coordinates of Ukrainian training centers.
Throughout the summer and fall, Russia has carried out a series of deadly strikes on Ukrainian training facilities, killing soldiers and prompting criticism of military leadership over inadequate security measures.
Cutmore was also reportedly given instructions on building an improvised explosive device and the location of a weapons cache, from which he retrieved a sidearm and ammunition.
SBU counterintelligence officers detained him at his temporary residence in Kyiv, the agency reported.
