Ukrainian air force officer accused of leaking location of NATO F-16 jets to Russia

A Ukrainian air force officer was arrested and charged with spying for Russia by leaking the locations of Kyiv’s prized F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, officials said.

The officer, who was only identified as a flight instructor who held the rank of major, stands accused of providing Russia with intel and suggesting the tactics used to attack an airbase housing the NATO-provided jets, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement.

“In particular, the enemy’s priority targets were airfields where F-16s, Mirage 2000s and Su-24s were based,” it said.

“In addition, to ensure the success of the enemy strike, the defendant prepared and handed over to the occupiers an analytical report on the necessary, in his opinion, tactics for delivering combined strikes,” the SBU added.

“This was to allow the Russians to strike, ‘bypassing’ the defense of the relevant military facilities.”

The US-made F-16s arrived in Ukraine late last year to bolster Kyiv’s air force and defenses against Russia’s escalating bombardments.

The warplanes serve as a key tool for Ukraine and are used alongside the French Mirage 2000 jets and the older, Soviet-manufactured Su-24s.

The NATO-provided jets are prime targets for Moscow, with its drones and missiles regularly aimed at airfields and military bases where the Kremlin believes the jets may be stationed.

Along with helping Russia carry out the attack, the SBU also accused the suspect of passing data on Ukrainian air force personnel and combat tactics to the Kremlin.

The arrest of the air force officer comes after the SBU detained two Chinese nationals earlier this month on suspicion of spying on Ukraine’s Neptune anti-ship missile program.

The intelligence breaches are not only limited to Ukraine, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealing Tuesday that 32 suspects were arrested for allegedly spying for Russia.

“At the moment, 32 people who are suspected of collaborating with Russian special services who ordered sabotage or contract beatings have been detained,” Tusk said, according to Polish outlets.

With Post wires