The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has apprehended a British citizen, Ross David Cutmore, on charges of acquiring firearms and ammunition from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) with the intent to execute assassinations within Ukraine, according to reports. The SBU indicated that Cutmore could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison and may also face the seizure of his property if convicted.
While some sources have suggested that Cutmore is a former member of the British army, details regarding his military background remain uncertain. It is also unclear whether the uniform he has been seen wearing belongs to the British military.
Inquiries regarding Cutmore’s military history directed at the U.K. Ministry of Defense resulted in a referral to the U.K.’s Foreign Office.
Meanwhile, life continues amidst the chaos, as seen with a resident navigating through debris near a damaged house following a Russian strike on a suburb of Odesa, southern Ukraine, on March 7, 2025, during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Oleksandr Gimanova/AFP via Getty Images)
A representative from the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) conveyed to Fox News Digital that consular support is being extended to the detained British national in Ukraine. The spokesperson emphasized that the U.K. is maintaining close communication with Ukrainian authorities regarding the situation.
The FCDO spokesperson further clarified that the office cannot extricate a British national from foreign detention, prevent deportation after a prison term, or meddle in the judicial processes of other countries, as stated on their consular assistance webpage.
On Oct. 29, without disclosing his name, the SBU announced the detention of a “former military instructor” who was working for the FSB in Kyiv.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, foreigners have traveled to Ukraine to assist in the war effort after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a public plea for veterans to come to Kyiv at the start of the conflict, according to the Financial Times.
Ukrainian security officials detained British national Ross David Cutmore in Kyiv for allegedly working with Russia’s FSB to plan attacks. (East2West)
The SBU said he arrived in Kyiv in early 2024 to serve as a military instructor tasked with training Ukrainian army personnel. A few months later, Cutmore stopped working as an instructor and allegedly offered to collaborate with Russian special services as he sought “easy money,” the SBU claimed.
Investigators believe he was approached by FSB officers after he posted notices on pro-Russian social media groups, and was then allegedly recruited in Odesa in September 2024 and paid $6,000 to provide Russia with sensitive information, according to reports.
An FSB handler tasked him with gathering information regarding other foreign military instructors and the coordinates of training centers in southern Ukraine.
Ross David Cutmore was apprehended by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). (East2West)
The SBU also said that he was sent instructions for making a homemade explosive device, in addition to the coordinates of the cache where he took a pistol with two loaded magazines, but the SBU detained Cutmore at his residence in Kyiv before the task was carried out.
He is accused of providing Russia with information regarding Ukraine’s military and of preparing for “terrorist attacks,” as stated by the SBU.
Members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces, volunteer military units of the Armed Forces, train in a city park in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP/Efrem Lukatsky)
The SBU and Kyiv’s Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. The FSB could not be immediately reached.
