Armed Forces News

Federal officials arrested a former Army Special Forces officer Aug. 21, and charged him with allegedly conspiring to provide national defense information to Russian intelligence officers. Peter Rafael Dzibinski Dobbins, 45, of Gainesville, Va., could face life in prison if convicted.

Court records indicate that Dobbins met with the Russian agents periodically between December 1996 and January 2011, providing them with classified information about the chemical and Special Forces units he served with while in the Army. He also allegedly provided his Russian contacts with the names of former Special Forces colleagues and their contact information, which they would use to try to convince them to cooperate in the conspiracy.

“Our military is tasked with the awesome responsibility of protecting our nation from its adversaries, and its service members make incredible sacrifices in service of that duty,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “When service members collude to provide classified information to our foreign adversaries, they betray the oaths they swore to their country and their fellow service members. As this indictment reflects, we will be steadfast in holding such individuals accountable.