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Israel's domestic intelligence service, Shin Bet, security agency, and MALMAB, the Director of Security of the Defense Establishment, announced on Friday that a Russian citizen was arrested for sending pictures of ports, ships, and infrastructure in Israel to Iranian intelligence elements.
Vitaly Zvyagnitsev, a 30-year-old Russian citizen who arrived in Israel with a foreign worker permit, was arrested in early December 2025 on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence elements.
According to the investigation, Zvyagnitsev established contact with an Iranian intelligence operator in October 2025, who went by the name "Roman" and claimed to be a fellow Russian citizen living in Moscow.
"The suspect carried out a variety of photography missions of infrastructure and ships in ports throughout the country, and more. In exchange for these tasks, he received money through digital means," the Shin Bet statement claimed.
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Zvyagnitsev had worked as a foreign laborer in Israel for many years. According to reports, starting in October, he began photographing Israeli ports and military ships at the direction of Iranian intelligence operatives. He received digital payments in exchange for the espionage missions.
The investigation discovered that Zvyagnitsev understood that his contact intended to use the supplied photographs to harm the state of Israel, but "he continued to carry out additional tasks he received from his operator, this for financial reasons."
According to Army Radio, Zvyagnitsev managed to take dozens of videos of extremely sensitive installations in Israel, operating under the nose of the Israeli security establishment for an extended period.
In one instance, police detained the Russian national while filming in the Herzliya Marina, after which he was released on the condition that he delete the videos. Among the places he filmed and photographed were the Haifa port, sensitive military vessels of the Israeli and U.S. Navies in the port of Eilat, the port of Ashdod, and Haifa's oil refineries.
He was finally caught while attempting to film the Ramat David Air Force base and was unable to send the footage to his Iranian handler.
An indictment was filed against Zvyagnitsev on charges of "contacting a foreign agent and providing information to an enemy," according to local media reports.
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