Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced on Wednesday the arrest of two Chinese nationals accused of spying on one of Ukraine’s strategic missile programs.
According to the SBU, a 24-year-old Chinese national—formerly a student at a technical university in Kiev—allegedly acquired classified documents related to the development of Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship missile system. Ukrainian authorities allege the man’s father traveled from China to Ukraine in order to facilitate the transfer of these documents to Chinese intelligence services.
Both individuals now face up to 15 years in prison for the attempted illegal export of sensitive military technology.
The arrests represent another significant decline in the already strained relationship between Kiev and Beijing, as Ukrainian authorities increasingly accuse China of aiding Russia in its war effort.
In April, two Chinese nationals captured while fighting for Russian forces drew widespread attention. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly announced their capture and suggested they were indicative of China's indirect involvement in the war. Although Ukrainian officials acknowledged the men had joined the Russian military independently, the incident led to the Chinese chargé d’affaires in Kiev being summoned by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations, stating the men were acting on their own.
In May, Kiev further accused Beijing of supplying Russia with wartime production materials, including machine tools, artillery components, and gunpowder—claims that have yet to be independently verified.
China has continued to deny that it is supplying weapons to Russia. In a recent meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and EU foreign policy chief Kajsa Kallas, Wang reportedly told Kallas that if China were supplying military aid to Russia, “the war would have ended long ago.” He added that Beijing has no interest in a Russian defeat, warning that such an outcome would only embolden the United States to redirect its strategic focus onto China.