Ukrainian authorities have arrested a British military instructor accused of spying for Russia and plotting assassinations. Ross David Cutmore, 40, from Dunfermline, was allegedly recruited by Russia's intelligence service, the FSB, to carry out targeted killings on Ukrainian territory between 2024 and 2025.
The Kyiv prosecutor's office stated that in May 2025, Cutmore passed on the coordinates of Ukrainian units, photographs of a training facility, and information about military personnel that could be used to identify them. Analysis of his correspondence confirmed he had carried out other tasks for the benefit of Russian special services.
Cutmore, a former British army soldier deployed to the Middle East, arrived in Ukraine early last year to assist its military and later its border guard. According to the Times, he was allegedly recruited by Russian intelligence officers in Odesa and paid $6,000 for confidential information about Ukrainian military locations. If found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in prison.
FSB officers reportedly approached Cutmore after he posted adverts offering his services in pro-Russian social media groups. Ukraine's internal intelligence agency said he was sent instructions to make an explosive device and coordinates of a cache from which he took a pistol. Ukrainian media report that Cutmore is suspected of providing weapons used to kill activists Demyan Hanul and Iryna Farion, and MP Andriy Parubiy, all murdered by assassins.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: 'We are providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Ukraine. We remain in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities.'
