A high-ranking Hellenic Air Force officer has been arrested on espionage charges, with swirling media reports in Athens on Thursday claiming the man has, in fact, confessed to spying for China.
The 50-year-old officer, identified with the rank of colonel, had reportedly assumed command of a unit in the southeast Athens coastal district of Kavouri last July.
He was reportedly placed under surveillance months ago after a tip-off by a foreign intelligence service before his arrest this week.
The same media reports claim the air force officer provided highly sensitive information related to NATO and that he has also confessed to Greek counter-intelligence agents.
Other reports state that the man was placed under surveillance after Defense Minister Nikos Dendias returned from an official trip to the United States.
Official announcement
In a posted announcement, Greece’s Hellenic National Defense General Staff notes that “…on Thursday, February 5, 2026, in the early morning hours, the competent military authorities arrested a member of the armed forces. The arrest took place
on military premises, in cooperation and coordination with other state services (in the presence of an authorized prosecuting authority), following clear indications of criminal acts under the military penal code, namely the collection and transmission of classified military information to third parties, with the risk of harming national interests.”
