A soldier has been arrested in the US on suspicion of leaking data about Abrams tanks to Russia
M1A2 Abrams: Illustrative photo from wikipedia

A serviceman from a unit stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas, has been arrested in the US on suspicion of spying for Russia and violating export laws. This was reported... reports The United States Department of Justice.

According to the investigation, 22-year-old Taylor Adam Lee attempted to pass on confidential national defense information to Russia, including information on the operation of the M1A2 Abrams, the main US battle tank.

"Taylor Lee attempted to provide classified military information about the vulnerabilities of American tanks to an individual he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer, in exchange for Russian citizenship," said Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the investigation, Lee had been trying to send information about US defense to the Russian Ministry of Defense since May.

In July, during a face-to-face meeting between Lee and a person he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer, Lee allegedly handed over an SD card containing information about the Abrams, another armored fighting vehicle used by the U.S. armed forces and in U.S. combat operations.

He also suggested transferring specific equipment located inside the tank.

On July 31, the soldier delivered the equipment to a storage facility in El Paso, Texas, and sent a message to the person he believed to be a representative of the Russian side, stating that "the mission was accomplished."

After that, he was detained and arrested.

The investigation is being conducted by FBI offices in Washington and El Paso, with the assistance of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command.

  • The most high-profile data breach scandal in the US defense sector occurred in 2023, when a US Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira leaked classified Pentagon documents online, some of which concerned the preparation of Ukraine for a counteroffensive.
  • November 12, 2024, Boston Court imprisoned Teixeira for 15 years for disclosing classified information on the Discord platform.