The Chinese Father and his Son are detained in Ukraine, accused of trying to smuggle information about the guided missile system star-news.press/wp

Ukrainian officials He said Wednesday that two Chinese citizens – father and son – were arrested and accused of trying to transfer illegal classified documents on a major Ukrainian missile system to Beijing.

According to statement By the Ukrainian Public Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation was found by the Security Agency in Ukraine (SBU) that the 24 -year -old man was expelled from Ukrainian University in 2023 due to academic failure, and remained in Ukraine and an attempt to employ a Ukrainian citizen working to develop “Neptune”.

The government said in its statement: “It has been proven that the foreigner was gathering and was supposed to move to his father, who had close relations with security agencies and general employees in China, and documenting the missile system in Neptune,” describing the missiles “a unique weapon of the defense forces in Ukraine” that was used in the Halmark attack on the Russian flight in 2022.

SBU said that the man’s father entered Ukraine earlier this week to “coordinate his son’s spying work personally.”

No men were identified.

According to the Office of the Public Prosecutor, the 24 -year -old was arrested while transferring information to his father, who was arrested two days later. The statement said that the father visited the Chinese embassy in Kyiv a day before his arrest.

The Chinese embassy did not respond to the CBS News request to comment on this story.

The news comes a week after the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union diplomat better that Beijing does not want to see Ukraine winning the war that was launched with its 2022 invasion on a large scale. Chinese officials did not confirm that the special statement issued by Wang during a visit to Brussels, which was reported by the South China Morening Post and other ports.

Chinese officials have repeatedly said that the country’s position on the Ukraine war is one of the neutrality, but the United States The Ministry of Defense report was issued at the end of 2024 He concluded that China has supported Russia in the war and Russia has sold bilateral elements that are decisive in the Moscow military industry.

According to the Biden Administration, the names of the state at the time Anthony Blinko said In early 2023, the United States government was concerned that Beijing was considering increasing its support for Russia with “everything from ammunition to weapons itself.”

China continued to deny the transition alongside the war, but it has The depths of its relationship with MoscowBoth politically and militarily, greatly in recent years.

The Neptune System is a locally designed Cruise Cruise missile that was in service with the Ukrainian navy since March 2021. The guided missiles have been designed approximately 2000 pounds to target both travels and targets, and have proven successful in the first months of the war when they were used on Moskva drowns Torated missiles, which was pioneering in the Black Sea Fleet in Russia.

The missiles, which number about 174 miles, are a vital weapon for Ukraine as they seek to defend its coastal area in the Black Sea. It was also deployed elsewhere and hit military targets, including an air base in the Russian Kursk region last year, according to the Ukraine Army.

The original NepTune design has been promoted to expand its scope and reduce Ukraine’s dependence on weapons provided by the United States and Europe.

The Chinese men had to remain in detention during the investigation before the trial. If they are convicted of charges, they may face the prison sentence for up to 15 years.