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Kyiv Arrests Chinese Spy Duo in Espionage Case Involving Ukraine’s Missile Secrets
In Kyiv, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) disclosed that its counterintelligence operatives arrested two Chinese nationals— a 24-year-old former student and his father—while they attempted to smuggle classified technical documentation on the Ukrainian “Neptune” missile system to China, according to the Service statement published on July 9.
The SBU statement, issued under the procedural guidance of the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, details that the younger suspect remained in Ukraine after being expelled in 2023 for academic underperformance and sought to recruit a Ukrainian engineer involved in advanced weapon development.
Authorities apprehended the student “in the act” as he received secret schematics from Ukrainian special services, while his father—who had entered Ukraine on July 7—was detained two days later as he visited the Chinese embassy in Kyiv.
Searches of both suspects yielded mobile phones containing incriminating correspondence coordinating their intelligence activities. Both have been charged under Part 1 of Article 114 of the Criminal Code (espionage) and face up to 15 years’ imprisonment with asset confiscation.
Developed by the Luch Design Bureau, the Neptune system has gained global attention since it destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022.
With a range up to 300 km and advanced guidance upgrades, it remains a strategic deterrent against naval threats in the Black Sea.
Earlier it was reported that, Ukrainian forces previously thwarted a Russian plot targeting the same missile batteries.
In mid-June, a mobilized servicemember recruited by Russia’s GRU was detained while attempting to relay geolocation data of Neptune deployments—an operation that, if successful, would have enabled Russian strike planning against coastal defense positions
