Active-duty soldier tried to give Russia tank info, DOJ says

Authorities on Wednesday arrested Taylor Adam Lee, an active-duty soldier with several security clearances, for attempted Russian espionage, according to the Justice Department. Lee, who was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, also faces a charge of attempted export of controlled technical data without a license. He is assumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Lee allegedly attempted to send U.S. defense information to Russia’s Ministry of Defense from roughly May 2025 until his arrest, the department said. In June, he allegedly shared restricted technical information about the M1A2 Abrams Tank online and said he wanted to assist Russia.

Lee in July met in person with someone he believed to be a Russian government operative, according to the Justice Department’s allegations. He gave the person an SD card that he said contained information about the tank and U.S. combat operations, the department said. Lee allegedly said that the information on the card was sensitive and likely classified. Later in July, the soldier left a specific piece of the tank’s hardware inside a storage unit for the supposed Russian operative, the Justice Department alleged.

It was unclear on Thursday morning whether Lee had retained a lawyer or if Russia received any sensitive information.

What agencies are investigating the case? The FBI’s Washington and El Paso field offices were handling the investigation with help from the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Command, according to the Justice Department.

Dig deeper:Read my report on President Donald Trump’s potential plans for an in-person meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.