Ashkelon couple indicted for espionage and intelligence gathering for hostile entities

The State Attorney's Office has filed an indictment in the Tel Aviv District Court against Tamirlan Amushokov (26) and Alina Kushnirenko (24), a couple residing in Ashkelon, for espionage offenses. The charges follow the pair's involvement in providing sensitive information to hostile entities via Telegram in exchange for payment. The indictment was submitted by Oren Haim of the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office.

An investigation by the YAHBAL (International Crime Investigation Unit), Lahav 433, and the Shin Bet led to the arrest of the two residents, who were found to be carrying out espionage missions for Iranian intelligence. The indictment reveals that the initial contact occurred when a profile identifying as "Aslan" approached Amushokov in a Telegram group. While the initial proposal involved a money-laundering scheme, the relationship quickly escalated into active espionage.

Under the direction of "Aslan" and another individual known as "David," Amushokov and Kushnirenko performed surveillance, documentation, and tracking missions. These operations targeted various locations across Israel and specific individuals whose identities were provided in advance, all in exchange for cryptocurrency payments.

Systematic intelligence gathering against security targets

According to the indictment, the couple operated systematically between April 2026 and July 2026. They documented both civilian and military infrastructure and tracked the residences of Israeli security personnel. All sensitive materials were transferred to the foreign agent in exchange for the promised virtual currency.

The State Attorney's Office emphasizes that the couple acted with full awareness that they were providing information to hostile elements, knowingly compromising the security of the state.