Pair accused of spying on Neptune missile programme, which is seen as critical to defence against Russia
Ukraine says it has arrested a Chinese father and son on suspicion of spying on its Neptune anti-ship missile programme, a key part of Kyiv’s growing domestic arms industry that is critical to its defence against Russian forces.
The announcement by Ukraine’s security service (SBU) follows assertions by Kyiv in recent months that Beijing, which has sought to project an image of neutrality, is helping the Kremlin’s war effort.
Counterintelligence officials arrested a 24-year-old former student in Kyiv after they provided him with “technical documentation” related to Neptune production, the SBU said in a statement on Wednesday.
They later detained his father, who had aimed to smuggle out the documents to the Chinese special services, the agency said. The father had been living in China but visited Ukraine to “personally coordinate” his son’s work, it added.
