Chinese Spies Detained in Kyiv for Gathering Secret Information on Neptune Missiles

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) counterintelligence detained Chinese spies in Kyiv who were attempting to obtain classified technology related to the production of Ukrainian Neptune cruise missiles.

According to a statement from the SSU press service on Wednesday, July 9, two citizens of the People’s Republic of China tried to illegally smuggle secret documentation about these missiles out of the country.

The investigation revealed that one of the Chinese spies is a 24-year-old former student of a Kyiv technical university, who stayed in Kyiv after being expelled in 2023 due to academic failure.

The other suspect is his father, who permanently resides in China but occasionally traveled to Ukraine to coordinate his son’s intelligence activities.

“According to the case materials, the former Chinese student was tasked with obtaining technical documentation on the production of Ukrainian Neptune missiles. To achieve this, he attempted to recruit a Ukrainian citizen involved in the development of advanced weaponry for the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the SSU reported.

It was also noted that Ukrainian counterintelligence uncovered the spy at an early stage of his activities and apprehended him “red-handed” while he was receiving classified documents.

His father was also detained, as he was supposed to transfer the secret information to Chinese intelligence services.

The Security Service of Ukraine reported that during searches of the Chinese spies, phones were seized containing evidence of their correspondence, in which they coordinated their activities.

Based on the collected evidence, SSU investigators have formally charged the detained Chinese citizens under Part 1 of Article 114 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (espionage).

The men face up to 15 years in prison, along with confiscation of their property.

In June, the Security Service of Ukraine thwarted the preparation of a Russian “mole” who was planning an enemy strike against the Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missile systems.