From: New Voice of Ukraine — U.S. national Daniel Martindale, who lived in Ukraine for two years while spying on Moscow’s behalf, was issued a Russian passport, state propaganda agencies TASS and RIA Novosti reported on July 15.
The naturalization ceremony was held at the Moscow office of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)—the Kremlin’s proxy in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
Kremlin ally and DPR head Denis Pushilin said the passport was granted by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s decree “as the highest form of gratitude—a sign of special trust and respect.”
Martindale told reporters that Russia represents “traditional values” to him and that he hopes to eventually live in occupied Mariupol or Crimea. Russian propagandists also noted that he “thanked Russian troops” during the ceremony.
At a Moscow press conference on Nov. 2, 2024, Martindale claimed he had provided Moscow with precise coordinates of Ukrainian military sites for two years. In February 2025, The Wall Street Journal published an interview in which he said he was living in Moscow and that Russian security services were closely monitoring his movement.
Voice of Ukraine 