Scottish man jailed in Ukraine after admitting spying for Russia

Ross David Cutmore, from Dunfermline, initially worked as a military instructor after travelling to Ukraine in 2024.

By Evening Standard

• May 12, 2026 at 5:51 PM

Scottish man jailed in Ukraine after admitting spying for Russia Photo: Evening Standard

A Scot who worked as a military instructor in Ukraine has been jailed for more than eight years after he admitted spying for Russia.

Ross David Cutmore, from Dunfermline in Fife , transmitted information about the Ukrainian military in return for payment, after being recruited to work as a Russian spy.

In a statement the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office said he had “acted out of selfish motives and with the intent to transmit this data to the aggressor country.”
Cutmore was jailed for eight years and six months after admitting his guilt in a plea deal at the Kyiv district court of Odesa on April 30.

According to prosecutors, Cutmore arrived in the country in January 2024, and ran classes for Ukrainian service personnel in the city of Mykolaiv.

In September that year, he moved to Odesa, where he established contact with a member of the Russian special services and agreed to transmit military information in return for payment.

In May 2025, an investigation by the Ukrainian security service (SBU) found Cutmore had transmitted the co-ordinates of Ukrainian units, photographs of a training area, and information that could lead to the identification of service personnel.

The Scot was also found to have collected data on facilities in Odesa and “discussed the possibility of using explosive devices, and attempted to gain access to the command of military units”.

One of the tasks is said to have netted him 6,000 US dollars (£4,500).

He was also found to possess a Makarov pistol and combat cartridges, which he is said to have acquired and stored illegally.

Cutmore was “exposed and detained” in October 2025 and, on March 27 the following year, prosecutors submitted an indictment to the court, along with a plea agreement.

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A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We are providing consular assistance to a British man who is detained in Ukraine.

“We remain in close contact with the Ukrainian authorities.”