Bulgarian authorities have detained two Ukrainian citizens on suspicion of espionage, apprehending them in the vicinity of a military facility, the Sofia City Court announced during a hearing to review their detention.
Oleh Tymofeiev, a 41-year-old retired lieutenant who once led the unmanned systems division in Ukraine’s Armed Forces, is one of the accused. A native of Zaporizhzhia, Tymofeiev was forced to leave service due to health issues and has been recognized as disabled. He has no prior criminal record and holds advanced degrees in architecture, management, and economic security, according to documents from Ukraine’s Defense Ministry submitted to the court. Before the war, he told the judges, he ran a construction firm.
His co-defendant, Roman Zozulia, 32, served in Ukraine’s airborne troops before retiring with a shrapnel injury to the head. Born in Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, he is also a first-time offender with a high school education. In court, Zozulia described his current occupation as a small-scale entrepreneur: he purchases televisions and radio equipment online, strips them for parts, and resells them.
Both men had been residing in Spain since September with their families, holding temporary residency and work permits in the town of Guardamar del Segura in Alicante province. They were detained on Bulgarian soil on January 12. Prosecutor Mihaila Nikolaeva confirmed the charges fall under the first chapter of the Criminal Code, which addresses crimes against the republic.
Citing the presence of two classified volumes in the case file and the potential to compromise national security, both the prosecution and defense teams petitioned for the proceedings to be closed to the public. The court granted this motion as well. Following the closed-door hearing, neither Tymofeiev nor Zozulia offered any comments to the media.