Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced Wednesday that it had arrested a Ukrainian Air Force major accused of leaking sensitive information about Western-supplied fighter jets and Ukrainian airbases to Russian military intelligence.
In a statement, the SBU said the unnamed officer was a flight instructor and served as a major in one of the Air Force brigades.
According to the investigation, he passed along the locations, flight schedules, and tactical details of U.S.-made F-16s, French Mirage 2000s, and Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-24s to Russia’s military intelligence agency. The officer also allegedly advised Russian forces on how to bypass Ukrainian air defenses.
“To ensure the success of enemy strikes, the suspect also prepared and passed along an analytical report to the occupiers, outlining what he believed to be the necessary tactics for launching combined attacks,” the SBU said. “This was intended to help Russian forces bypass defenses protecting key military installations.”
The officer is further accused of sharing personal information about Ukrainian pilots, including aircraft tail numbers, armament configurations, and combat flight tactics.
Authorities said he was detained while attempting to gather additional intelligence. Investigators intend to charge him with high treason committed under martial law, as defined in Part 2 of Article 111 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
The arrest comes shortly after the recent detention of two Chinese nationals suspected of spying on Ukraine’s Neptune missile program.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has not commented on the arrest.
