British man convicted of spying for Russia, leaked ex-defense minister's data

According to prosecutors, 65-year-old Howard Phillips offered Shapps’ home address and phone number to two individuals he believed were Russian intelligence agents, but who were British undercover agents.

Phillips denied the charges of actions aimed at providing substantial assistance to a foreign intelligence service, a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

During the trial at Winchester Crown Court, he claimed he was trying to "trap and expose a foreign agent." However, on Tuesday, the jury found him guilty under the UK’s National Security Act. Sentencing will take place at a later date.

At the start of the trial, the prosecutor stated that Phillips offered his assistance to the supposed Russian agents "not necessarily for ideological reasons or because he sympathised with the Russian state," but because he was seeking "easy – and, perhaps, interesting or exciting – work for easy money."

In March 2024, undercover officers posing as Russian agents under the names Sasha and Dima approached Phillips. They asked him to save a file to a clean USB stick and hide it inside a parked bicycle on a London street.

In May 2024, Phillips met with Dima and said he knew Shapps’ home address, phone number, and the location of his private jet, claiming he had previously visited Shapps’ residence.

Phillips also offered logistical support, including booking a hotel room and purchasing a mobile phone for the supposed Russian intelligence agents.

Previously, a court in Estonia convicted two Moldovan citizens for setting fire to a restaurant Slava Ukraini. It turned out that they worked for the Russian intelligence (GRU).

Last year, a Polish court sentenced two men to four years in prison for spying on behalf of Russian intelligence.