Ukraine has arrested Briton Ross David Cutmore on suspicion of being a Russian spy, PA Media/DPA reported, BTA reported.
Cutmore is suspected of being recruited by the Russian security service FSB and of passing on sensitive information to Russian authorities in exchange for money.
According to Ukrainian officials, he passed on “coordinates of Ukrainian units, photos of a training ground and information about servicemen that could be used to identify them“.
“We are providing consular assistance to a British citizen who is detained in Ukraine. We are in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities,” a spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said.
Officials say Cutmore arrived in Ukraine in January 2024 to train recruits in the city of Nikolaev.
“In May 2025, he provided the coordinates of the location of Ukrainian units, photos of the training ground and information about servicemen that could be used to identify them. In addition, analysis of his correspondence confirmed that he had also carried out other tasks for the Russian special services,“ the prosecutor's office in Kiev said in a statement.
Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that Cutmore faces up to 12 years in prison and confiscation of property. Investigators believe that Cutmore advertised his services “through advertisements“ in various pro-Russian groups on social networks.
“Initially, he conducted training for military personnel in Nikolaev, and later worked in one of the border units“, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.“In late September 2024, after terminating his activities as an instructor, he moved to Odessa, where he established contact with a representative of the Russian special services and agreed to provide military information in exchange for money“, the statement added. Cutmore was arrested outside his home in Kiev in October.“