The suspect allegedly shared state secrets without authorization, but prosecutors claim it did not pose a "serious" national security risk

A Canadian military counter-intelligence officer has been charged with espionage after allegedly sharing sensitive state secrets with Ukraine, according to local media reports.

Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar was arrested last week and appeared before a military court on Monday to face charges of "communicating special operational information," breaching Canada's Security of Information Act, and delivering "special operational information to a foreign entity or to a terrorist group." The offences carry a potential life sentence.

The foreign entity has not been named during the proceedings but sources cited by The Globe and Mail have identified it as Ukraine.

Prosecutors allege that between 2023 and 2024, Robar communicated with an unnamed individual working for a foreign intelligence service about "unconventional activity that involved sensitive techniques." 

According to the prosecution, the project required authorization from senior commanders and Robar's requests were repeatedly denied. He allegedly continued engagement regardless, developed an unauthorized direct relationship with the intelligence service, and met the contact abroad without approval.

A comparable espionage case occurred in 2012, when Canadian naval intelligence officer Jeffrey Delisle was convicted of passing classified information to Russia and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

However, in Robar's case, both the defense and the prosecution have suggested that his actions did not amount to a "serious" national security risk, claiming he was "not motivated by personal or financial gain or to cause harm." Robar has been released on bail.

The leniency towards Robar due to the apparent involvement of Ukraine has raised questions about how secure Canada's military secrets are, particularly given that it shares information with the Five Eyes network, which includes the US, UK, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Earlier this year, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard ordered intelligence related to Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations to be withheld from foreign partners. The directive came ahead of the Alaska summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. 

Moscow has accused NATO states of attempting to undermine negotiations and prolong the conflict while clinging to the "fantasy" of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.