On Wednesday, July 30, 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the arrest of a flight instructor with the rank of major in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Powitriani Syly Zbroinykh Syl Ukrainy, AFU), who is accused of passing sensitive information to the Russians. The intelligence was reportedly intended to facilitate attacks on air bases hosting brigades equipped with multirole fighter aircraft, including Lockheed Martin F-16AM/BM and Dassault Mirage 2000-5F jets donated by European countries.
Photo: SBU
According to the official press release, the military counterintelligence unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), with support from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has exposed yet another agent of the Russian military intelligence service who had been recruited by the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) and was operating within the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The individual arrested is a major in the Ukrainian Air Force serving as a flight instructor in one of the tactical aviation brigades that conduct combat missions, including intercepting cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as Geran/Shahed-type UAVs, and carrying out air-to-ground strikes in support of ground forces.
The investigation, led by the SBU, revealed that the agent was carrying out several tasks for Russia simultaneously.
First, he transmitted intelligence aimed at enabling new Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian Air Force targets. The top priority for Russian forces was to locate air bases hosting F-16AM/BM, Mirage 2000-5F, and Su-24M/MR aircraft.
The traitor collected coordinates of aircraft deployment sites, flight plans, and mission schedules.
To ensure the success of the planned attacks, the suspect also prepared and handed over to Russian forces an analytical report detailing the tactics used in joint missions conducted by various branches of the Ukrainian military — information he deemed necessary. This was intended to help Russian forces carry out effective strikes on military targets while bypassing Ukrainian air defenses.
Second, the agent passed personal data of Ukrainian Air Force pilots to Russian intelligence, along with flight numbers, aircraft armament configurations, and combat flight tactics.
As part of the espionage operation, the suspect communicated with the Russian special services via an anonymous email account and used encrypted chats in private messaging apps.
SBU officers documented the major’s activities and apprehended him while he was attempting to collect another batch of sensitive data.
The Security Service investigators plan to notify the detainee that he is suspected of committing high treason during martial law, under Article 111, Part 2.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
If convicted, the suspect faces life imprisonment with confiscation of property.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the SBU in the Ivano-Frankivsk region under the procedural supervision of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Defense of the Western Region.
