Ross David Cutmore Jailed For Spying For Russia After Training Ukrainian Troops

Ross David Cutmore, a Scottish man from Dunfermline in Fife, was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for spying for Russia after admitting he passed information about Ukrainian armed forces to the Russian FSB security service in exchange for money.

Prosecutors said Cutmore arrived in Ukraine on January 23, 2024, ran training classes for Ukrainian service personnel in Mykolaiv until autumn 2024, and then moved to Odesa in September to transmit military information for payment.

BBC

The Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said he “acted out of selfish motives and with the intent to transmit this data to the aggressor country,” and the BBC reported he admitted disclosing “unauthorised information” on the location of Ukrainian units and information on foreign military trainers.

The BBC said Cutmore was arrested last year after an investigation by the Ukrainian security service, and it reported he admitted his guilt at the Kyiv District Court in Odesa on 30 April under a plea deal.

The Independent and upday News both described the same plea-deal sentencing at the Kyiv district court of Odesa on 30 April, with upday News adding that Cutmore was detained on October 27, 2025 and entered the plea deal on April 30.

Ukrainian authorities said Cutmore transmitted coordinates of Ukrainian units, photographs of training areas, and other details that could identify service personnel, and the BBC said he also collected data on facilities in Odesa and discussed the possibility of using explosive devices.

The BBC reported that for one of the tasks he is said to have received 6,000 US dollars (£4,400), and it said he was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) counterintelligence officers at the planning stage in October last year.

BBC

The Independent quoted the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office saying he “acted out of selfish motives and with the intent to transmit this data to the aggressor country,” and it also said prosecutors found he “discussed the possibility of using explosive devices, and attempted to gain access to the command of military units”.

The Times reported that Cutmore pleaded guilty to lesser charges of passing on information to the Russians and illegally possessing a Soviet-era pistol and two loaded magazines of bullets, and it added that prosecutors alleged he had received at least one payment of £4,400.

In parallel, the Times said the SBU stated that “To prepare for his assignments, the occupiers sent him instructions on how to make an improvised explosive device,” and it described instructions and coordinates for a weapons cache from which he retrieved a pistol with two loaded magazines.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told The Independent, “We are providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Ukraine,” and it added that “We remain in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”

upday News said the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine stated the information he transferred could harm the country's defense capability and state security, and it described the judgment noting his cooperation with investigators to expose other persons involved in criminal offenses.

The BBC said Cutmore arrived in Ukraine in early 2024, gave up the instructor work in September, and began looking for “easy money” in pro-Kremlin online communities before being recruited by an officer from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

The Times reported that authorities in Odesa confirmed there had been no requests from the UK for his extradition, and it said Cutmore will serve his time in Ukraine.

Across the accounts, the case is tied to the Kyiv District Court in Odesa on 30 April, with upday News stating the judgment noted his admission of guilt and a quick verdict after his plea deal.