American who spied for Kremlin from inside Ukraine receives Russian citizenship
Daniel Richard Martindale, an American who secretly provided intelligence to the Russian military from inside Ukraine, was granted Russian citizenship during a televised ceremony in Moscow on July 15.
Russian state television aired footage of the event, showing Martindale — bearded and dressed in a suit and tie — smiling as he received his new documents, according to a report by Reuters.
"I, Daniel Richard Martindale, voluntarily and consciously accepting the citizenship of the Russian Federation, swear to observe the Constitution," he said in Russian.
Holding up his new passport, he added: "The belief that Russia is not just my home, but also my family — I am extremely glad that this is not only in my heart, but also by law."
State media reported that Martindale had been granted citizenship by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A self-described Christian missionary, Martindale first moved to Russia in 2018, studying the language and teaching English in the Far East city of Vladivostok.
He later relocated to Poland and crossed into Ukraine by bicycle in February 2022 in anticipation of Russia's full-scale invasion.
He eventually travelled east to Donetsk Oblast, where he settled in a Ukrainian village. Over the next two years, he covertly shared intelligence — including information on Ukrainian troop positions — with the Russian military.
According to Denis Pushilin, leader of the Kremlin-backed proxies in the occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast, Martindale's intel helped Russian forces plan an offensive to seize Kurakhove, a town near the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
As Russian troops advanced and captured the village where he had been living, Martindale was extracted by Russian special forces and taken out of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has repeatedly recruited foreign nationals to support its invasion of Ukraine, including as intelligence assets, saboteurs, and combatants.
