Russia arrests Crimean chef for allegedly working with Ukrainian intelligence and plotting to poison soldiers

A woman in Crimea has been arrested on charges of espionage for allegedly providing Ukrainian military intelligence with sensitive information about Russian military assets, including the locations of Black Sea Fleet ships, according to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

The FSB claims that the woman, who works as a head chef at a restaurant in Sevastopol, “established covert contact with Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate via WhatsApp in September 2023.”

After this alleged contact, she reportedly collected and shared photographers showing the positions of Russian naval vessels in Sevastopol Bay. According to the FSB, these images were later used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to plan missile strikes.

In addition to espionage, the FSB also accused the woman of plotting to poison Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.