A former senior Ukrainian intelligence official has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of high treason for spying on behalf of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Ukrainian authorities announced.

Col. Dmytro Kozyura, the former chief of staff of the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) Anti-Terrorism Center, was found guilty of high treason committed under martial law, along with the illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives. The verdict was delivered by Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyy District Court.

According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, Kozyura agreed to provide Russian intelligence with classified information in exchange for financial compensation. Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko described the case as one of the most serious betrayals of national security, stating that the life sentence reflected the gravity of the crimes committed.

Investigators said Kozyura had access to highly sensitive state secrets through his senior position within the SBU, where he was responsible for coordinating counterterrorism operations. Authorities accused him of systematically transmitting classified information concerning Ukraine's military operations, weapons systems, critical infrastructure, and the country's political and military leadership.

The SBU said the espionage activities were uncovered during a counterintelligence operation codenamed "Rat." Investigators alleged that Kozyura used a safehouse in Kyiv equipped with a separate mobile phone and Wi-Fi router to maintain covert communications with his Russian handlers.

According to Ukrainian officials, Kozyura had initially been recruited by Russia's FSB during a meeting in Vienna in 2018. However, investigators said his Russian contacts remained dormant for several years before re-establishing communication in December 2024.

Once contact resumed, Russian intelligence reportedly tasked him with collecting information on the deployment and movement of Ukrainian and Russian forces, as well as intelligence related to Ukraine's military capabilities and strategic infrastructure.

Authorities further alleged that Kozyura secretly monitored SBU command posts and regularly supplied Russian intelligence with assessments of the aftermath of Russian missile and drone strikes, including casualty figures among Ukrainian military personnel and civilians. Prosecutors said he repeatedly transferred documents marked as classified while remaining in constant contact with his handlers.

The SBU identified his alleged FSB coordinator as Yuriy Shatalov, who was said to oversee a broader network of Russian intelligence agents.

Kozyura was arrested in February 2025 following months of surveillance. The SBU stated that officers monitored his activities around the clock before gathering sufficient evidence to detain him.

Ukraine's security service also claimed it had exploited Kozyura's role after identifying him as a Russian asset, using him to feed Russian intelligence with misleading information while restricting his access to genuine classified material.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian authorities have intensified counterintelligence operations aimed at uncovering suspected Russian spies and collaborators operating within the country. The conviction of Kozyura represents one of the highest-profile espionage cases involving a former senior Ukrainian security official since the start of the war. (ILKHA)