Report: Ukrainian government interpreter who was invited inside Downing Street accused of being a Russian spy

телеканал прямий/YouTube/Business Insider

An annotated video frame of a man being arrested, broadcaster by Ukraine's телеканал прямий (Direct TV) channel.

• Ukrainian secret service agents arrested a high-ranking government employee on Wednesday.
• They claim he is a Russian agent, who was using surveillance equipment to spy on government activity.
• The Kyiv Post identified him as interpreter Stanislav Yezhov.
• The BBC's Ukraine supporter said Yezhov has been inside Downing Street and also met Joe Biden.

A man working as an interpreter for the Ukrainian government has been accused of spying for the Russians, according to reports.

The BBC's Kyiv correspondent, Jonah Fisher, wrote that Stanislav Yezhov was the man arrested by Ukrainian security services on Wednesday night. The Kyiv Post newspaper in Ukraine also named Yezhov as the man.

According to Fisher, Yezhov worked with Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, and was photographed walking through Number 10 Downing Street just behind Prime Minister Theresa May.

He also said Yezhov was present for meetings between the Ukrainian government and Joe Biden, the former US vice-president.

A press release from the SBU, Ukraine's secret service, said they had detected a Russian agent working for the Ukrainian government. 

The SBU said the suspect used electronic equipment to harvest data of interest to the Russian government.

Its release said: "The SBU operatives documented that the offender by the order of Russian curators collected data on the activities of governmental institutions by means of special equipment. He passed received data to curators through electronic communication channels."

It said he had been arrested for "suspicion in commitment of crime" but did not specify further.