China "Still Verifying" Ukraine’s Missile Data Smuggling Claims
(MENAFN) Beijing announced Thursday that it is "still verifying" reports from Ukrainian authorities claiming two Chinese nationals have been arrested for attempting to smuggle sensitive military information.
“If this is concerned with Chinese citizens, then the lawful rights of Chinese citizens need to be safeguarded,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated during a live-streamed press briefing in Beijing.
The allegations, released Wednesday by Ukrainian officials, accuse the two Chinese individuals of trying to illicitly remove classified data concerning Ukraine’s Neptune missile system from the country.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), the suspects were apprehended in Kyiv and are believed to have been targeting information on the RK-360MC Neptune missile—an advanced system credited with destroying the Russian cruiser Moskva in 2022, a major naval loss for Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet.
Investigators revealed that one of the suspects is a former university student, expelled in 2023 from a technical institution in the Ukrainian capital.
“Another defendant is his father, who permanently resided in China but periodically visited Ukraine to personally coordinate his son's spy work,” the SBU stated.
The agency also claimed the former student made an attempt to enlist a Ukrainian national involved in weapons development. It said “phones with evidence” were confiscated from both suspects during searches.
“The defendants face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property,” the SBU added.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
