Two young Ukrainian men in Denmark have been charged with espionage after apparently answering a Telegram advert that offered a free Sony television and a microwave, DR’s research shows.
According to DR, the advert was posted in a large Telegram group with more than 5,000 members. Ukrainians use the group to network and ask questions about life in Denmark.
The post claimed that an office in Aalborg was being closed down. It said plants, a 40-inch Sony TV and a microwave could be collected for free. The post has since been deleted, but DR obtained a screenshot of it.
Per DR’s research, the advert was active from October 16, 2026, until an unknown point when it was removed. DR reports that the post forms part of the authorities’ investigation into the espionage case in Aalborg.
Arrested outside MyDefence in Nørresundby
The case became public on October 20, 2026. Two men, aged 18 and 21, are accused of photographing the defense company MyDefence and sharing the images with a Telegram user, and ultimately with a Russian intelligence service. According to the charge read out in Aalborg District Court, they were arrested outside MyDefence at around 4.50 p.m. on October 19.
Both men deny the charges. As DR reported on October 20, the court did not order pre-trial detention, but allowed police to hold both men for three times 24 hours. They are charged under Section 108(1) of the Danish Criminal Code.
DR has reported a message posted in the Telegram group at 6 a.m. on October 20. A Ukrainian woman wrote that her 18-year-old son had left the previous day to answer the advert and had not been reachable since. DR has been in contact with the woman, who confirmed her son’s name and described details matching the charge.
At the time of her message, the arrests were not publicly known. Another active member of the group told DR he remembered the advert. According to him, no address was given, so interested people had to contact the user directly.
PET warns against photo tasks offered online
Shortly after the arrest, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service, PET, warned people against accepting tasks on social media that look too good to be true. As stated by PET, an apparently simple photo assignment can be used to prepare sabotage. The service said anyone contacted about such tasks should decline them and contact the police.
Another user in the same Danish-Ukrainian group told DR about a second post, from October 19, asking for help in Aalborg to take photographs of architecture for a course. It is not known whether that advert had a similar purpose. Neither PET nor North Jutland Police would comment on DR’s information, as the case is ongoing. Police say a third possible perpetrator remains at large. The defense lawyer Rasmus Amandusson has said the two men are strongly affected by the case.
What the case means for foreign residents using Telegram and Facebook groups
The two accused men have been in Denmark for only a few months and are here to work, according to DR. Many newcomers rely on closed Telegram and Facebook groups for practical information while they settle in, including questions about housing, jobs and residence and work permits. In this case, the advert circulated in exactly such a group.
A charge under Section 108 of the Criminal Code covers assisting a foreign intelligence service operating on Danish territory. PET’s public advice is that residents should not take on photo or courier style tasks offered by unknown users online, and should report such approaches to the police. There is a name ban, navneforbud, in the case against the two men, which is why DR cannot publish several details about them or their families.
