Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has detained two Chinese nationals in Kyiv for allegedly attempting to transfer classified military data on the RK-360MC “Neptune” missile system to Chinese intelligence.

The Neptune system, developed domestically and operational since 2021, gained international attention after it sank the Russian cruiser Moskva in 2022.

In a post on Telegram, the SBU identified the suspects as a 24-year-old former student of a Kyiv technical university and his father.

After being expelled in 2023 for poor academic performance, the younger man remained in Ukraine and allegedly attempted to recruit a Ukrainian defense worker to obtain sensitive documents related to the missile program.

His father, who resides permanently in China but made periodic visits to Ukraine, is alleged to have personally overseen his son’s intelligence activities.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the younger suspect was arrested while receiving classified materials. His father, who had arrived in Ukraine earlier that week to coordinate the operation, was arrested two days later.

Investigators recovered encrypted messages on their phones, pointing to a coordinated espionage effort. If convicted, both face up to 15 years in prison.