The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Maria Varenikova
Alexander, a 42-year-old Russian spy born in Ukraine, agreed to an interview with The New York Times while imprisoned at Prison Colony No. 122 for high treason after being caught spying during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Initially taking up espionage work offered by Russian operatives due to financial struggles and ideological alignment, Alexander provided military intelligence and personal information about Ukrainian soldiers which led to casualties. His capture occurred when a checkpoint guard found an incriminating message on his phone during a drive through northern Ukraine.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
He does not claim to be Russia’s brightest spy.
uncertain
He → claim → ?
Alexander had really wanted the job, though.
asserted
Alexander → want → job
He was born in Ukraine but believed in Russia.
asserted
He → bear → Russia
And it was hard getting by on his shifts at McDonald’s.
asserted
it → get → McDonald
So when two Russian operatives approached him with the offer of a piecework spying gig, he jumped.
asserted
he → approach → gig
He was in France at the time, he said.
asserted
he → say → time
The Russians wanted compromising material on a Western government official.
asserted
Russians → want → official
Some of what Alexander did was real field espionage, like seeing where the official lived.
asserted
official → see → what
Alexander didn’t have much need for disguises.
asserted
Alexander → have → disguises
“I had a pair of black sunglasses, but I rarely wore them.
asserted
I → wear → them
Only when the sun was shining,” he said wryly.
asserted
he → shin → ?
Alexander’s work changed when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
asserted
Russia → change → 2022
He joined a Facebook group for foreigners enlisting in the Ukrainian army.
asserted
He → join → army
He gained other members’ trust.
asserted
He → gain → trust
On trips to Ukraine, he reported to Russia the location of Ukrainian forces, their planned assault operations and their personal information.
asserted
he → report → forces
His actions, he said, led to soldiers’ deaths.
asserted
he → say → deaths
Then it all caught up with him.
asserted
it → catch → him
Driving through northern Ukraine, Alexander was stopped at a checkpoint.
asserted
Alexander → drive → checkpoint
A guard asked to see his phone.
asserted
guard → ask → phone
He had forgotten to delete a message to his Russian boss.
asserted
He → forget → boss
“I am not saying I am a good spy,” Alexander said.
asserted
Alexander → say → ?
“I got caught.”
asserted
I → catch → ?
I met Alexander on a bright summer day in a meeting room of Prison Colony No. 122 in central Ukraine, where he will remain for the foreseeable future after pleading guilty in a Ukrainian court to the charges against him, including high treason.
asserted
he → meet → treason
It is impossible to corroborate everything he told me, though parts of his story could be confirmed through Ukrainian court documents and interviews with Ukrainian officials.
uncertain
parts → corroborate → officials
I had received a call from a shadowy contact saying that Alexander was open to talking.
asserted
Alexander → receive → contact
The Ukrainian government has arranged throughout the war for journalists to talk to Russian prisoners.
asserted
journalists → arrange → prisoners
This, however, would be my first time knowingly meeting a Russian spy.
asserted
This → meet → spy
Alexander, 42, wore a worn-out gray baseball cap, sweatpants and a tracksuit jacket with white stripes along the sleeves.
asserted
Alexander → wear → sleeves
He looked straight into my eyes with a playful yet penetrating stare.
asserted
He → look → stare
He leaned back leisurely in his chair, oozing self-confidence.
asserted
He → lean → confidence
Now and again, he smiled at a military officer who was in the room for security reasons.
asserted
who → smile → reasons
I wanted to make sure that Alexander knew what he was doing in deciding to sit down with me.
asserted
he → want → me
“Do you realise,” I asked, “that what you tell me will be published in an article and that it will not necessarily be a positive portrait of you?”
asserted
it → realise → you
The last part seemed to surprise him.
asserted
part → seem → him
“Why is that?” he answered.
asserted
he → answer → ?
As far as I could tell, he just wanted the world to know his story, though he said he did not want his last name published to protect his family.
uncertain
name → tell → family
He kept asking me if I was really from The New York Times.
asserted
I → keep → Times
Maybe Russia would remember him, he said, and ask that he be included in a prisoner exchange.
asserted
he → remember → exchange
Alexander, who moved to Israel as a young child, is both Ukrainian and Israeli.
asserted
who → move → child
He is the only such spy imprisoned in Ukraine, Pikalov said.
asserted
Pikalov → imprison → Ukraine
…and 44 more, not listed.
The Aporia
