Latest news with #militaryintelligence
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Ukraine arrests air force officer for spying on Western-supplied fighter jets
Ukraine's domestic security agency has detained an air force officer on charges of having spied for Russia by leaking the location of prized F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, officials said on Wednesday. The unidentified officer, a flight instructor holding the rank of major, stands accused of helping Russia carry out air strikes by providing coordinates and suggesting strike tactics, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. 'In particular, the enemy's priority targets were airfields where F-16s, Mirage 2000s and Su-24s were based,' it said. F-16s are US-made and Mirages are French while the Su-24 is an older, Soviet-manufactured jet bomber. 'The agent collected the coordinates of the location of these aircraft, schedules and ...the order of their departure.' The SBU said the suspect had also passed data on Ukrainian air force personnel and combat tactics to Russian military intelligence. Moscow regularly targets airfields and military bases across Ukraine, especially areas it believes are home to Western-provided weapons like the F-16 or Mirage jets. The two aircraft have been critical to bolstering Ukraine's defenses against mounting Russian air strikes and grinding battlefield advances in Moscow's three-and-a-half-year-old, full-scale invasion. This month, the SBU detained two Chinese nationals on suspicion of spying on Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missile program, a key part of Kyiv's growing domestic arms industry.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine arrests air force officer for spying on Western-supplied fighter jets
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's domestic security agency has detained an air force officer on charges of having spied for Russia by leaking the location of prized F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, officials said on Wednesday. The unidentified officer, a flight instructor holding the rank of major, stands accused of helping Russia carry out air strikes by providing coordinates and suggesting strike tactics, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. "In particular, the enemy's priority targets were airfields where F-16s, Mirage 2000s and Su-24s were based," it said. F-16s are U.S.-made and Mirages are French while the Su-24 is an older, Soviet-manufactured jet bomber. "The agent collected the coordinates of the location of these aircraft, schedules and ...the order of their departure." The SBU said the suspect had also passed data on Ukrainian air force personnel and combat tactics to Russian military intelligence. Moscow regularly targets airfields and military bases across Ukraine, especially areas it believes are home to Western-provided weapons like the F-16 or Mirage jets. The two aircraft have been critical to bolstering Ukraine's defences against mounting Russian air strikes and grinding battlefield advances in Moscow's three-and-a-half-year-old, full-scale invasion. This month, the SBU detained two Chinese nationals on suspicion of spying on Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missile programme, a key part of Kyiv's growing domestic arms industry.
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Ukraine arrests air force officer for spying on Western-supplied fighter jets
KYIV, July 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine's domestic security agency has detained an air force officer on charges of having spied for Russia by leaking the location of prized F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets, officials said on Wednesday. The unidentified officer, a flight instructor holding the rank of major, stands accused of helping Russia carry out air strikes by providing coordinates and suggesting strike tactics, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said in a statement. "In particular, the enemy's priority targets were airfields where F-16s, Mirage 2000s and Su-24s were based," it said. F-16s are U.S.-made and Mirages are French while the Su-24 is an older, Soviet-manufactured jet bomber. "The agent collected the coordinates of the location of these aircraft, schedules and ...the order of their departure." The SBU said the suspect had also passed data on Ukrainian air force personnel and combat tactics to Russian military intelligence. Moscow regularly targets airfields and military bases across Ukraine, especially areas it believes are home to Western-provided weapons like the F-16 or Mirage jets. The two aircraft have been critical to bolstering Ukraine's defences against mounting Russian air strikes and grinding battlefield advances in Moscow's three-and-a-half-year-old, full-scale invasion. This month, the SBU detained two Chinese nationals on suspicion of spying on Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missile programme, a key part of Kyiv's growing domestic arms industry.
Irish Times
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Judge's report provides rare insight into secretive Irish military intelligence unit
Ireland's secretive military intelligence service is seeking more surveillance powers to deal with threats to State security, as it undergoes a major internal overhaul. Developments in the service include a new purpose-built headquarters in Dublin and a new name. Previously known as J2, the unit is now known as the Irish Military Intelligence Service (IMIS). Most of the operations of IMIS remain shrouded in secrecy, even more so than its Garda counterpart, the Security and Intelligence Service. Its precise location, strength and identity of its commander, an Army colonel, remain confidential. Even the name remains somewhat mysterious. Recent Defence Forces planning documents still refer to IMIS as J2, despite the rebranding. However, the latest report from the judge responsible for monitoring the use of communications surveillance by State agencies provides an unusually detailed, though still limited, insight. The designated judge, Mr Justice Tony O'Connor, said in March that IMIS moved into a secure facility that has been purpose-built to 'top secret clearance and security specifications'. Sources said the new facility, understood to be in McKee Barracks in Dublin, has been outfitted with advanced security measures required for the processing of intelligence from Nato and EU sources. The old headquarters, which was also in McKee Barracks, was transferred to the newly established Defence Forces Joint Cyber Defence Command, which moved in on May 6th. The restructuring coincides with an undertaking in the programme for government to review military intelligence structures 'to ensure that our intelligence services are optimised to protect national security'. The judge's report is the first publicly available official document to use the service's new name. IMIS is tasked with ensuring State security and the security of State agencies, including Defence Forces deployments overseas. It has a fraction of the resources of its Garda counterpart, which has primary responsibility for State security. Much of the intelligence processed by the service comes from other militaries or intelligence agencies, including the European Union Intelligence and Situation Centre and Nato's Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation System. However, in some cases, it carries out its own wiretaps and other types of communications surveillance. Information gathered in this way is used for intelligence purposes only and not for bringing prosecutions, Mr Justice O'Connor said. Those under surveillance are never informed of the fact. These powers are governed by the Interception Of Postal Packets And Telecommunications Messages Act, 1993 which, according to IMIS, 'continues to be a valuable and significant source of intelligence'. IMIS has also been increasingly seeking data under Section 6 of The Communications (Retention Of Data) Act 2011, the judge said. This allows a Defence Forces officer of colonel rank or higher to request customer data retained by a service provider 'for the purpose of safeguarding the security of the State'. However, the current laws do not allow IMIS to intercept communications carried out on internet platforms, such as WhatsApp, Gmail or Facebook messenger. The Defence Forces has called on the Department of Justice to update the legislation to rectify this, the judge noted. Intelligence officers are also seeking more statutory powers to compel service providers to comply with personnel data requests. In the absence of such powers, international communications companies may refuse to comply with requests from military intelligence, Mr Justice O'Connor warned. The current Government has been receptive to these suggestions. Last week, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan announced plans for new surveillance laws to incorporate web-based platforms, including those that use encrypted technology. In his report, Mr Justice O'Connor also echoes calls made by the 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces to bring in legislation to clarify the 'role, function and powers' of military intelligence. He suggested a comparison should take place with other European military intelligence units.
Wall Street Journal
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
U.K. Names Russian Spies and Denounces Moscow's Sabotage Operations
LONDON—The U.K. government fired another salvo against Russia's secret services, naming 18 spies and sanctioning three Russian military intelligence units for their involvement in what it said was a widespread campaign to destabilize Ukraine and other European nations. The U.K. said that the GRU military intelligence agency was behind cyberattacks aimed at Ukraine, as well as on U.K. telecom and energy infrastructure and other European targets. 'The U.K. is concerned that the GRU has used Ukraine as a testing ground for the development of a range of cyber capabilities,' the government said.
