Canadian counterintelligence officer to face trial over alleged contacts with Ukrainian intelligence
A Canadian military counterintelligence operative accused of sharing information with a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence agency will face a court-martial on December 9, CBC News reported.
Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar, who was arrested nearly a year ago, will stand trial on three charges under Canada's National Defence Act, according to the office of the chief military judge.
Robar initially faced eight charges, including communicating sensitive operational information to a foreign entity. Prosecutors are no longer pursuing that charge or a separate breach-of-trust allegation. The military judge's office did not explain why the more serious charges were dropped.
The remaining charges include negligent performance of military duty, stemming from allegations that Robar maintained an unauthorized relationship with a foreign representative and shared information without permission between September 2024 and February 2025.
He is also accused of misleading his superiors about the extent of those contacts and improperly storing a firearm.
CBC News reported, citing confidential sources, that the foreign representative was a member of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR). According to the sources, another Canadian official had introduced the two.
Investigation linked to disputed KGB allegations
The case reportedly emerged from a Canadian military counterintelligence investigation into allegations that prominent Canadian defense journalist David Pugliese had been recruited by the Soviet KGB in the early 1980s.
According to CBC's sources, Robar had been assigned to investigate those claims.
The allegations were based on a dossier purportedly drawn from former KGB archives in Kyiv. The documents surfaced in Eastern Europe in 2023, and Ukraine's military intelligence agency subsequently obtained a copy, according to CBC.
Former Canadian cabinet minister Chris Alexander presented the dossier to a parliamentary committee in October 2024.
Pugliese, a longtime Ottawa Citizen journalist known for reporting on misconduct and mismanagement within Canada's defense establishment, has repeatedly denied any ties to Soviet intelligence.
He has also disputed the accuracy of the dossier, saying it contained numerous errors.
CBC emphasized that the documents do not establish that Pugliese ever carried out assignments for the KGB or even knew of any Soviet intelligence interest in him.
An independent researcher has separately argued that the allegations were fabricated.
Robar's court-martial is scheduled to begin on December 9.