Ukraine Arrests Chinese Nationals for Missile Espionage

Ukrainian authorities have detained two Chinese nationals—a 24-year-old former student expelled from a Kyiv technical university in 2023 and his father—on suspicion of attempting to smuggle classified documents about Ukraine’s Neptune cruise missile system to Chinese intelligence. The younger man allegedly tried to recruit a Ukrainian weapons developer, while his father, who traveled from China, coordinated the operation and visited the Chinese embassy in Kyiv before his arrest. Both face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. These are the first Chinese nationals arrested for espionage in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The Neptune missile system became notable after its use in sinking Russia’s Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva in 2022. The case comes amid ongoing accusations from Kyiv that China is aiding Russia’s war effort, which Beijing continues to deny.