Ukraine has detained a Chinese father and son on charges of espionage, accusing them of collecting classified information related to the country’s vital Neptune missile defense system. The arrests were made by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which alleges that the suspects were acting on behalf of Chinese intelligence.
According to the SBU, a 24-year-old former student was first detained in Kyiv after being found in possession of secret technical documents concerning the Neptune missile project. Later, his father was also arrested. Although based in China, the father had reportedly traveled to Ukraine to personally oversee his son’s activities and was allegedly preparing to transfer the sensitive data to Chinese authorities.
A Ukrainian official told Reuters that this marks the first known case of a Chinese national being detained on espionage charges in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
“We are investigating the incident. If Chinese citizens are involved, we will protect their legal rights,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Lawyers representing the father and son could not be immediately reached for comment. If found guilty, the two face up to 15 years in prison under Ukrainian law.
Ukraine has previously accused China of indirectly supporting Russia’s military operations. The Ukrainian government has sanctioned several Chinese companies for allegedly aiding Russia in the production of drones and other weaponry.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has also claimed that Ukrainian forces have detained Chinese nationals fighting on the side of Russian troops. In April, Ukrainian authorities reportedly arrested two Chinese individuals suspected of fighting for Russia and stated that more Chinese nationals were serving in the Russian military.
China, however, has denied all such allegations. Beijing insists that it has not supplied weapons to either Russia or Ukraine and has dismissed Ukraine’s claims as baseless and irresponsible.