‘One of us': US citizen who spied on Ukraine gets citizenship in Russia; says becoming Russian citizen was a ‘dream'
A US citizen who provided intelligence on Ukrainian troops to support Russia's military campaign has been granted Russian citizenship, officials announced Tuesday.
Daniel Martindale spent two years in Ukraine following the start of Russia's invasion, passing along the coordinates of military sites to Russian intelligence services, as per Russia's state media.
"By decree of our President Vladimir Putin, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation was awarded to Daniel Martindale," said Denis Pushilin the head of the Russian-occupied Donetsk region in Ukraine, reported AP.
Martindale received his passport at a ceremony in Moscow by the interior ministry officials, as per a video published by Pushilin and the state media.
Martindale had "long since proven with his loyalty and actions that he is one of us,' said Pushilin.
"He spent more than two years in the territory under enemy control. And not only did he survive -- he helped. He supported our guys, passed on important information to our special services, risked his life," he added.
Martindale said that becoming a Russian citizen was a 'dream' for him and thanked Russia for 'accepting' him. "Russia is not only my home, but my family," he said in Russian.
After two years of spying on Ukraine, Daniel Martindale was pulled out in what Pushilin described as "a complex evacuation operation," prompted by growing concerns in Moscow that his life would be at risk if he remained in the country.
Russian state media reported that security forces brought Martindale to Russia in November 2024, where he subsequently submitted for his citizenship.
"Hello, I'm Daniel Martindale, the guy that Russian soldiers risked their lives to evacuate from the village where I had lived for two years." a telegram account that claimed to be Martindale posted the same month.
During that time, Martindale informed pro-Russian bloggers that he arrived in Ukraine shortly before Russia launched its offensive, in hopes of reaching the region of Donetsk.
Martindale told bloggers that he reached out to Russian intelligence services on his own initiative and was instructed to travel to the city of Vuhledar and wait for Russian forces to arrive.
He said he stayed in the city, posing as a missionary, until the fall of 2024, when Russian troops captured it following a prolonged battle, as reported by CBS news.
Martindale was raised on farms in upstate New York and Indiana by missionary parents who later relocated to rural China. During his time there a short visit across the border into Russia's far east sparked his interest in the country, as per a Wall Street Journal report.
In 2018, he moved to Vladivostok where he studied Russian and taught English but was deported from the country a year later for violating labour laws.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
22 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Israel war meant to 'overthrow system' in Iran
Synopsis Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated that Israel's attacks aimed to destabilize Iran. The attacks included bombings and targeted killings. Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes. The United States also launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Nuclear talks between Iran and the United States have stalled. Iran demands guarantees against future military action. Iranian parliament has set preconditions for negotiations. AP In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with judiciary officials in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP) Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel's attacks during last month's 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic republic's system and spark unrest to topple it."The calculation and plan of the aggressors was to weaken the system by targeting certain figures and sensitive centres in Iran," said Khamenei in a statement published on his website. He said the move was meant to stir "unrest and bring people into the streets to overthrow the system".Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran on June 13, killing top military commanders and nuclear authorities said more than 1,000 people were killed in Iran. The attacks set off a 12-day war in Iran responded with drone and missile fire, killing 28 people in Israel, according to Israeli June 22, Israel's ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and attacks took place two days before Iran and the United States were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of nuclear talks which had begun on April 12. The talks have not since resumed. Tehran has reiterated that it remains open to diplomacy provided that Washington offers guarantees it will not resort to military action against the Islamic republic. On Wednesday, Iran's parliament ruled out negotiations without meeting certain "preconditions", without specifying any of them. In his statement, Khamenei said Iranian diplomacy and the military should excercise "care and precision" in the way ahead, without elaborating.
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Hiding in the shadows: How Russia's reviving Cold War tricks to keep its nuclear threat moving
Russia's nuclear infrastructure is growing in the shadows. Satellite images reveal extensive construction at five sites, from Belarus to Kamchatka, as Moscow reinforces old Cold War-era bases with new bunkers, railheads and tunnels. Analysts say this modernisation is about more than just maintenance — it signals a sharpening edge to Russia's nuclear threat in a Europe unsettled by the Ukraine war. At each site, fresh security, hidden guardposts and new facilities hint at plans yet to be declared. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Belarus: The railhead returns Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Gadzhiyevo: Submarines in the North Kaliningrad: A Baltic mystery Kamchatka: Torpedoes and tunnels Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Novaya Zemlya: Where the Tsar bomb echoes Recent satellite images, reviewed by Business Insider and captured by Planet Labs this May and June, show Russia quietly hardening its nuclear infrastructure. Sites once sleepy or left over from Soviet days now bristle with fences, hidden checkpoints and fresh Kristensen, who leads the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, summed it up: 'One thing they've done is put a perimeter up that consists of three layers of fencing, and the middle layer is more enhanced.'He's talking about Asipovichy, a Belarusian site that's become the Kremlin's forward operating point for tactical miles east of Asipovichy sits the 1,405th Ammunition Base. A glance at old photos shows a bare patch of land. Now, there's a fenced compound, covered guard posts, a hidden unloading ramp and a massive orange command antenna. Kristensen spotted signs that the Russians are linking it to the Belarusian rail network: 'That's an absolute must for the Russian nuclear infrastructure. If they need to transport nuclear warheads in here, they would most likely not be flown in, but put in by rail.'Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin have both said Belarus could host Russian warheads. Yet Pavel Podvig of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research thinks the nukes aren't there yet: 'It's more likely the weapons assigned to the site are stored in a national-level site. They would be moved to Asipovichy when necessary.'Across town sits another clue — an Iskander missile base with new garages. These mobile launchers can carry tactical nuclear payloads, and fresh tyre tracks suggest they're not just for north to Gadzhiyevo, Murmansk. This naval depot services Russia's nuclear-armed submarines. Look closely at the satellite snaps: you'll spot cranes hoisting intercontinental ballistic missiles into the subs, and carved-out mountain bunkers shielding the warheads from prying September 2022 and May 2025, six new buildings popped up near the missile handling area. Kristensen thinks they're storage or maintenance sheds for the arsenal. Podvig agrees: 'The missile storage is clearly undergoing a major expansion.'Kaliningrad is wedged between Lithuania and Poland. Its military base has long been suspected of storing tactical nukes. Old Google Street View images even show posters bragging about the unit's Cold War 2020 and June this year, new fencing went up and bunkers were dug up, rebuilt and buried again. A small grey guard shack appeared near a covered checkpoint. Michael Duitsman from the Middlebury Institute notes: 'We don't yet know what it is, but it's a new feature of these sites.'Whatever it is, it matches the same structure found at Asipovichy — not a detail analysts are likely to the Bering Sea from Alaska, Kamchatka hosts one of Russia's Pacific nuclear hubs. This base is lined with bunkers and heavy security fencing. It's also where Russia plans to station its Poseidon nuclear torpedoes — long-range, self-propelled and designed to cross oceans on their photos show two new buildings near an old mountain storage site. Kristensen believes these could be fresh warhead bays. 'That's where they roll in the warheads individually in a trolley, and sort of line them up against the wall.'By June 2025, a new T-shaped building and extra perimeter fences had appeared too. Duitsman sees classic signs of nuclear upkeep: triple fencing and tight guard on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, north of the Arctic Circle, lies a frozen relic of Soviet power. In 1961, the USSR detonated the Tsar Bomba here — the largest nuclear blast ever. Today, this island is back in the explains why: 'It's where they certify the warhead nuclear designs, but they don't need to conduct a live nuclear test that produces a yield.' Instead, they run subcritical experiments — nuclear tinkering that stops short of an actual 2021 and this summer, a large new building rose near the old test tunnels. By June, the compound's expansion looked complete. New tunnel entrances appeared too. 'A whole new tunnel in the mountain next to the other one, and personnel buildings, this is a big activity beef-up,' Kristensen though, urges caution: 'Russia has a policy of keeping the site prepared for the resumption of tests, if necessary. The US has a similar policy.'None of this happens in a vacuum. While Russia revamps its stockpiles, the US is upgrading its own. The Cold War-era Minuteman III missiles are being replaced by the Sentinel. China, too, is busy adding to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Russia still holds the biggest arsenal in the world, with about 4,300 active warheads. The US isn't far behind at 3, satellite images are just pixels — but they point to something more concrete. Nuclear weapons, once the ultimate relic of another era, are very much back at the heart of Russian strategy. Hidden fences. Guardhouses no one can explain. Bunkers that vanish and not just maintenance. It's a signal. And the world is watching.
Time of India
33 minutes ago
- Time of India
US will build repair facilities for the Philippine navy near the disputed South China Sea
US will build repair facilities for the Philippine navy near the disputed South China Sea (Image: AP) MANILA: The US Navy will construct two facilities for the repair and maintenance of Philippine military boats in a province facing the South China Sea, where confrontations between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards have flared. The US Embassy said Wednesday the project will take place at Oyster Bay and Quezon town in western Palawan province. It said in a statement that it underscored the treaty allies' aim to maintain a "free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific." Palawan faces the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety, and is the headquarters of the Philippine military's Western Command, which deploys navy patrol ships, surveillance vessels and aircraft to defend its territorial interests. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also been involved in the long-simmering territorial disputes in the busy waterway, a flashpoint in the regional rivalry between the US and China. Washington has no territorial claims in the waters but has repeatedly stated that it's obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If A Cat Bites Their Owner Heres What It Really Means Gloriousa Undo The US military has separately constructed warehouses, barracks and other facilities in nine Philippine military camps, where rotating batches of American forces can stay and store weapons under a 2014 defence pact. Chinese officials did not immediately comment on the US Navy's plan to construct the two facilities in Palawan province but it has long accused Washington of plotting with its allies to contain China's rise.
