Chinese Father and Son Arrested in Ukraine Over Missile Espionage Plot
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has arrested a 24-year-old former student and his father for attempting to smuggle classified documents on the RK-360MC Neptune cruise missile system to China.
According to the SBU, the son—an expelled student from a Kyiv technical university—had remained in Ukraine after being dismissed in 2023 due to poor academic performance. Authorities allege he attempted to infiltrate Ukraine’s defense sector by trying to recruit an employee involved in missile development to hand over sensitive technical data.
Investigators say the father, who lives in China but frequently traveled to Ukraine, coordinated his son’s espionage efforts in person.
The SBU reports that the son was apprehended “while receiving secret documents,” which were intended to be transferred to his father for delivery back to China. Both individuals are now under investigation for activities deemed a serious threat to Ukraine’s national security.
The Neptune cruise missile system, which played a critical role in sinking Russia’s Moskva warship in 2022, remains a strategic priority for Ukraine’s defense.
