Ukraine sentences former intelligence officer to life for spying for Russia

Ukraine has sentenced a former senior intelligence officer to life in prison after finding him guilty of high treason for passing classified information to Russia's FSB security service. The case centres on Col Dmytro Kozyura, a former chief of staff in the Security Service of Ukraine's anti-terrorism centre, who prosecutors said had access to state secrets and used that position to help Russian handlers. The ruling was announced in Kyiv and follows a counterintelligence investigation that Ukrainian officials say had been running for months.

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The prosecutor general said Kozyura agreed to share information that constituted state secrets in return for financial reward. The Security Service of Ukraine said the operation, codenamed "rat", uncovered the use of a safehouse in Kyiv where he communicated with Russian handlers seeking information about Ukraine's military and leadership. According to the agency, he was recruited by the FSB in Vienna in 2018, although contact with his handlers was not resumed until December 2024.

He was arrested in February 2025 after being monitored by SBU officers, who said they tracked his movements around the clock. Officials said the material he passed on included details about the deployment and movement of Russian armed forces, as well as information on Ukraine's weapons, infrastructure, and political and military leadership. The prosecutor general's office also said he spied on SBU command posts and systematically relayed the consequences of Russian strikes, including the number of wounded soldiers and civilians.

Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said Kozyura had been in constant communication with his handlers and had shared documents marked secret. He said the harshest punishment was appropriate for anyone in Ukrainian uniform who worked for the FSB. The case is significant because it touches one of the most sensitive areas of Ukraine's wartime security: the risk of infiltration inside the country's own intelligence structures.

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Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly announced operations against suspected Russian agents and collaborators. A conviction at this level also underscores the pressure on Ukrainian agencies to protect military and political information while the war continues. It may also reinforce public messaging that counterintelligence remains a priority during martial law.

The SBU said the investigation showed a long timeline, with alleged recruitment in 2018, renewed contact in late 2024, and arrest in early 2025. That sequence suggests the case developed over several years rather than as a single wartime breach. It also highlights the role of senior officials with access to sensitive material, which can make espionage cases more damaging than lower-level leaks.

The involvement of the anti-terrorism centre adds to the seriousness of the allegations because of its role in coordinating security operations. What remains unclear from the court outcome is the full extent of any damage caused by the information allegedly passed to Russia. Ukrainian officials have not said whether the case led to any wider arrests or whether other suspects are being pursued.

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