US soldier detained for leaking classified Abrams tank information to Russia
Photo: US M1A2 Abrams tank (Getty Images)
The perpetrator passed classified information to Russia about a component of the M1A2 Abrams tank and another combat vehicle, according to the US Department of Justice.
The agency reported that a soldier from Fort Bliss was arrested on Wednesday, August 6, in El Paso, Texas.
Investigators have charged him with attempting to transmit national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempting to export controlled technical data without a license.
According to court documents, 22-year-old Taylor Adam Lee held a top secret clearance and had access to sensitive, limited-distribution information.
Justice Department officials stated that from approximately May until now, Lee tried to verify his credentials as a US Army servicemember and directly transmit defense-related information to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to the investigation, in June 2025, the suspect transmitted controlled technical export data related to the M1A2 Abrams tank online and offered his assistance to the Russian Federation.
During a July in-person meeting with an individual he believed to be a representative of the Russian government, the soldier handed over an SD card.
Lee allegedly also described the contents of the documents and data on the card in detail, including information about the M1A2 Abrams tank, another US military armored combat vehicle, and operational data.
"Several of these documents contained controlled technical data that Lee did not have the authorization to provide. Other documents on the SD card were marked as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and featured banner warnings and dissemination controls," the Justice Department stated.
Investigators say that during and after the July meeting, Lee discussed the possibility of obtaining and delivering to the Russian government a specific hardware component inside the M1A2 Abrams tank.
On July 31, the suspect delivered what appeared to be this component to a storage facility in El Paso. Afterward, the servicemember messaged the person he believed to be a Russian government contact, writing: "Mission accomplished."
The investigation is being led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with support from the US Army Counterintelligence Command and the FBI El Paso Field Office.
The case is being prosecuted by Menno Goodman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, along with Assistant US Attorneys Nathan Brown and Mallory Rasmussen of the Western District of Texas.
Russian spies in West
Russian espionage activity continues to be exposed across Europe. In early July, a court in Rotterdam sentenced a 43-year-old Russian national to prison for violating EU sanctions and stealing technical data passed to Russian intelligence.
In May, a London court sentenced the leader of a Kremlin-linked spy ring operating in the UK to 11 years in prison.
