Ukrainian Engineer Charged with Treason for Aiding Russian Missile Guidance Systems

June 25, 2025 — Ukrainian authorities have charged Oleh Borsuk, a 61-year-old former defense engineer, with treason for allegedly collaborating with Russian forces to develop advanced missile navigation systems used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), Borsuk fled to Russia in 2009 after resigning from a defense plant in Cherkasy Oblast. He later became deputy general director at Moscow’s "Navis" design bureau, a key player in Russia’s military-industrial sector. The SBU alleges that Borsuk oversaw the development and modernization of satellite guidance systems (GPS/GLONASS) for Russian cruise and ballistic missiles, including the Iskander, Kh-101, Kh-59, and Kalibr models—missiles frequently deployed in strikes against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.

In 2023 alone, under Borsuk’s leadership, nearly 3,200 satellite navigation units were produced for Russian missile systems, the SBU reported. These systems have been linked to some of the deadliest attacks on Ukraine, including the July 8, 2024, strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, which killed two adults and injured over 50 people, and the June 17 missile and drone assault on Kyiv that left 30 dead and 172 injured.

Borsuk has been charged in absentia under Ukraine’s Criminal Code for treason committed under martial law. The SBU stated, “Since the perpetrator is hiding in the territory of the Russian Federation, comprehensive measures are underway to bring him to justice for crimes against our state”.

The case has drawn significant attention amid ongoing hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, highlighting the critical role of technological expertise in modern warfare and the challenges Ukraine faces in countering Russian military advances.