Kremlin-Recruited British Instructor Behind Planned Killings in Ukraine, SSU Says
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has exposed a British military instructor recruited by Russian special services who appears to be involved in sabotage operations on Ukrainian territory.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Ukrainian Pravda.
According to the SSU, the person in question is Ross David Catmore, who arrived in Ukraine in 2024 to train Ukrainian military units. He previously served in the British Army, including in conflict zones in the Middle East, and had significant combat experience.
The investigation established that Russian special services provided Cutmore with firearms and ammunition to carry out “targeted killings.” There are suspicions that he may have been involved in the supply of weapons that were later used in a series of high-profile murders of Ukrainian figures.
Potential victims of his activities may include Demian Ganul, a Ukrainian civil society activist who fought for the development of local self-government and against corruption. He was killed in Lviv as a result of a targeted armed attack.
Another potential victim is Iryna Farion, a former member of the Verkhovna Rada and professor known for her active pro-Ukrainian stance and criticism of pro-Russian forces, who was killed in Lviv in July 2024. The investigation proved that the attack was planned and politically motivated.
Andriy Parubiy, a former speaker of parliament, was also a victim of such actions. He was shot dead in Lviv on August 30, 2025, by an assailant. The Ukrainian National Police said there may be a Russian connection to the murder. Police Chief Ivan Vyhovsky said the crime was premeditated and the motives are still being investigated.
Parubiy was born in 1971 near Lviv. He was an active participant in the 2004 Orange Revolution and led self-defense units during the 2013–2014 Revolution of Dignity. After the escape of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, Parubiy was appointed secretary of the National Security and Defense Council at the beginning of Russian aggression in Crimea and Donbas.
From 2016 to 2019, he served as speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, and since 2019, he has been a member of parliament for the European Solidarity party. Colleagues and international leaders have called him a consistent defender of Ukrainian statehood and democracy.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia exploited the assassination of Andriy Parubiy, a prominent political figure, to spread disinformation, deepen divisions, and destabilize Ukrainian society.