A British military instructor accused of spying for Russia has been arrested by Ukraine’s security services.
Kyiv prosecutors said the man, who has not yet been named, has been passing information to Russian intelligence.
They said he had arrived in Ukraine in January 2024 and had ‘conducted instructional sessions for military personnel in Mykolaiv’, a city near the frontlines in the south of the country.
As recently as May 2025, he allegedly sent the location of Ukrainian units, photographs of training area and information about military personnel to Russian intelligence.
He is also accused of trying to gain access to military units and even discussing the ‘possibility of using explosive devices’. Prosecutors said he received £5,148 for one of these tasks.
The man, who prosecutors said worked for Ukrainian border units, is also accused of ‘preparing to commit terrorist attacks’ by Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.
The SBU said he had ‘professional skills in fire and tactical training’ and showed he was willing to spy on ‘various pro-Kremlin internet groups’.
The security service said Russian spies sent the British man instructions on how to make improvised explosive, as well as the location of a cache of weapons from which he had stolen a pistol and two loaded magazines.
A British military instructor (pictured) accused of spying for Russia has been arrested by Ukraine’s security services
Kyiv prosecutors said the man, who has not yet been named, has been passing information to Russian intelligence
He is being held without bail amid an investigation, following his arrest at his ‘temporary’ Kyiv residence.
The Briton appeared in court this week. He faces up to 12 years in prison for his alleged crimes.
Russia’s intelligence apparatus has been in overdrive since the invasion of Ukraine, both the eastern European nation and across the world.
Dylan Earl, 21, from Elmesthorpe, Leicestershire, was one of six British men found guilty of betraying their country for ‘easy money’ after acting on the plans of Wagner mercenaries.
Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb jailed the group for a total of more than 65 years at the Old Bailey – with ringleader Earl receiving a 17-year prison term.
Bodycam footage released by Metropolitan Police shows the precise moment Earl was arrested for his role in recruiting and helping plan the acts of terrorism in return for payment in cryptocurrency.
Earl, who was described in mitigation as ‘easy meat for the very sophisticated operatives of the Wagner Group’, was lifting bags of sand into his white work van when armed police descended on him in the car park of a B&Q store in Hinckley, Leicestershire, last April.
Dramatic footage captured the moment Dylan Earn, who was recruited online by Russian spies to carry out a terrifying campaign of arson and kidnap, was hauled to the ground by armed police last April
Pulled to the ground by officers, Earl looked helpless as a group of officers aimed their guns while shouting ‘stay still’ and ‘stay on the floor’ before handcuffing him.
They then order Earl to roll onto his front before carrying out a body search and declaring ‘subject secure’.
Moments later, Earl was told by a female officer: ‘I am arresting you under section 27 of the National Security Act 2023 as I have grounds to believe you are involved in foreign power threat activity, namely you are assisting a foreign intelligence service.’
Having been read his rights, Earl denied all knowledge of the charge and said: ‘What? I’ve been building all day. I hope you guys have some good proof of this. I hope I get a good story from this.’
