Israel Indicts Russian National for Spying on Critical Infrastructure for Iran

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On Friday, December 19, 2025, Israeli security services announced the indictment of Vitaly Zvyagintsev, a 30-year-old Russian national, for allegedly spying on behalf of Iranian intelligence. Zvyagintsev, who entered Israel on a work permit, was reportedly recruited via social media by an operative posing as a Russian citizen named "Roman." Tasked with photographing and filming sensitive strategic sites under the guise of tourism, Zvyagintsev documented critical infrastructure, including the ports of Haifa, Ashdod, and Eilat, as well as military assets like Dolphin-class submarines and U.S. Navy warships. His activities concluded with his arrest earlier this month at the Ramat David Air Force Base while attempting to conduct further surveillance.

The Shin Bet revealed that Zvyagintsev received payments in cryptocurrency for his missions, noting that he continued the work for financial gain despite understanding it was intended to harm the state. This case underscores a period of extreme regional volatility following the "12-Day War" in June 2025, which saw the decades-long "shadow war" between Israel and Iran erupt into direct military strikes. Security officials describe this latest arrest as part of a massive, sophisticated effort by Tehran to infiltrate Israel by targeting non-Jewish and non-Muslim foreign residents, a strategy intended to minimize suspicion during the ongoing conflict.