A Canadian military counter-intelligence officer has been charged with espionage after allegedly sharing classified information with Ukraine without authorisation, according to reports from Canadian media.
Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar was arrested last week and appeared before a military court on Monday, where he was charged with communicating special operational information in breach of Canada’s Security of Information Act. Prosecutors allege he also delivered sensitive material to a foreign entity, offences that carry the possibility of a life sentence.
While court proceedings did not publicly name the foreign recipient, sources cited by *The Globe and Mail* say the information was passed to Ukrainian intelligence. Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and 2024, Robar communicated with a foreign intelligence operative about unconventional activities involving sensitive techniques.
The court was told the project required senior authorisation, which Robar allegedly sought and was denied multiple times. Despite this, he is accused of continuing contact, forming an unauthorised relationship with the intelligence service and meeting the contact overseas without approval.
Both defence and prosecution have indicated the alleged conduct did not pose a serious national security threat, arguing Robar was not driven by financial gain or malicious intent. He has been released on bail.
The case has drawn comparisons with past espionage prosecutions and raised concerns about the protection of Canadian military intelligence, particularly within the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.
Image credit: Chris Yang
