Ukraine says it detained 2 Chinese citizens over espionage

Kyiv said on Wednesday that it detained two Chinese citizens suspected of trying to smuggle classified documents on a Ukrainian missile system out of the country.

A statement by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said that the two Chinese nationals were detained in the capital Kyiv, and are suspected of trying to smuggle classified documents on the RK-360MC Neptune missile system.

The statement said the system was used by Ukraine to sink the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, once the flagship of Moscow's Black Sea fleet, back in 2022.

It said that according to an investigation, one of those detained is a former student who was expelled from one of the technical universities in the Ukrainian capital in 2023.

"Another defendant is his father, who permanently resided in China but periodically visited Ukraine to personally coordinate his son's spy work," the statement further said.

The statement claimed the former student tried to recruit a Ukrainian citizen involved in weapons development, also indicating that "phones with evidence" were seized from the two during searches.

"The defendants face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property," the SBU added.

Chinese authorities have not yet commented on Ukraine's statement.