Man arrested in Russia for allegedly spying for New Zealand

Tuesday, 28 July 2026

A Russian man is in custody accused of spying for New Zealand.

Russian media is reporting the 55-year-old man was arrested in the Far East city of Khabarovsk on Monday (local time).

In a statement on its website, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had “identified and stopped the illegal activity” of a Russian citizen suspected of “committing terrorism”.

State-owned media broadcast the arrest, with Russian authorities seen swarming the man, taking him to the ground and handcuffing him.

The FSB claims the man “proactively” established contact with New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) representatives and, for “selfish motives,” passed on information that “could be used against the security” of Russia.

The agency said a criminal case had been opened against the man, who has been remanded in custody and could face a sentence of life in prison.

In a separate statement, the FSB told Russian state-owned news outlet TASS that the man was a “recruited agent” and sought to obtain information about Russia’s military cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

An FSB officer said “citizens should remain vigilant in the face of foreign intelligence agencies’ activity aimed at harming Russia’s security,” TASS reported.

“Those who are planning to commit treason should remember that this particularly serious crime carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment,” the officer said.