Scot detained in Ukraine over claims of 'spying' for Russia

A Scottish man has been detained in Ukraine on suspicion of claims of spying for Russia.

Ross David Cutmore, from Dunfermline, is alleged to have been recruited by Russia’s FSB security service and to have passed sensitive information to Russian authorities in exchange for money.

According to Ukrainian officials, he transmitted “the coordinates of Ukrainian units, photographs of the training area, and information regarding military personnel that could be used to identify them”.

Security officials say Cutmore arrived in Ukraine in January 2024 to train recruits in the southern city of Mykolaiv.

In a statement carried by multiple media outlets, the Kyiv prosecutor’s office said: “In addition, analysis of his correspondence confirmed that he had carried out other tasks for the benefit of the Russian special services.”

He faces up to 12 years’ imprisonment and confiscation of property, Ukrainian officials confirmed.

Investigators believe Cutmore advertised his services through “ads” in various pro-Russian social media groups.

“Initially, he conducted instructional sessions for military personnel in Mykolaiv, and later worked in one of the border units,” the prosecutor’s office said in a separate statement issued in October.

“At the end of September 2024, after ceasing his activities as an instructor, he moved to Odesa, where he established contact with a representative of the Russian special service and agreed to provide military information for money.”

Cutmore was arrested outside his residence in Kyiv in October.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph outside his home in Dunfermline, Cutmore’s father, Ross John Cutmore, said he was “lost for words”.

“It came as a shock to me,” he told the newspaper on Tuesday.

“I’m just lost for words. I’m just a normal person. I go to work. Just living my life – normal family.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Ukraine.

“We remain in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”

The Kyiv prosecutor’s office has been approached for comment.