'Small sting operation': Journalist shockingly brags about spying for Ukraine — keeps role at mainstream news outlet

A writer for a mainstream outlet made a shocking revelation in lengthy post on X, detailing how he wore a wire for a Ukrainian intelligence agency during a sting operation.

Adam Zivo, who works for the National Post — one of Canada's biggest and most popular mainstream news outlets — admitted that he attempted to gain information from a potential Chinese spy while in the Ukraine.

Zivo was responding to a post by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that warned readers about potential elicitation from spies.

"Has a stranger ever tried to inflate your ego? It could be elicitation. Elicitation is a set of techniques used by foreign agents to extract information from you," CSIS wrote on X.

Zivo replied, "People are dunking on this tweet but this actually happened to me in Odesa in early 2023 with a guy who seemed to be a Chinese spy. I ended up organizing a small sting operation with two Ukrainian intelligence officers to figure out what his deal was."

Then, in response to a critic who didn't believe his claim, Zivo went into great detail about how the alleged operation began.

'I wanted to do my part to keep my boyfriend's city, Odesa, safe.'

Zivo said he ran into the man in mid-December 2022 in Ukraine, and the two exchanged stories about being Canadian, with the journalist saying he felt the "vibe" was "kind of sketchy/greasy."

After planning to meet "for a drink" in January, Zivo said the man was acting suspicious about the meeting, causing Zivo to cancel their get-together. The journalist then began researching the individual online and became more suspicious about his background and education.

"I discovered that he had attended high school in Ottawa (so the Canadian connection was genuine) and then studied Russian and diplomacy at the Belarus State Academy. This was a red flag: Chinese families that can afford to send their kids to study in Canada don't typically choose Belarus for post-secondary education," Zivo wrote.

"Immediately after graduating, the guy worked at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in a position that put him in close proximity to the President of Iran (he helpfully shared photos of himself posing beside the Iranian president on his Facebook). After that point, he pivoted and became a tire salesman (lol)," he continued.

The National Post writer explained that he wrote a thorough report about his research and his interactions with the man — later identified as "Zhang" — and went to a military checkpoint to ask to speak with Ukrainian authorities. He was referred to the SBU, he said, the security service of Ukraine.

"I spoke with two intelligence officers the next day," Zivo said.

According to Press Progress, who spoke to Zivo, the journalist was led by armed guards to a "little wooden shed," where he spent a full day using the translation app Duolingo to walk a group of soldiers through his suspicions.

During his meeting, Zivo volunteered to wear a wire to record his conversations with the Chinese man. He was to meet the man at a restaurant called Kompot, which he reportedly described as the "Olive Garden of Ukraine."

Zivo further explained in his post that he wanted to help keep Ukraine safe because his boyfriend lives there.

"After I shared my story, we agreed to do a small sting operation. I wanted to do my part to keep my boyfriend's city, Odesa, safe – around this time, we were worried about the risks of a potential Russian winter offensive."

Zivo said the "Chinese guy" tried to sell him on a Ukrainian businessman who could help him "make money and start a business."

Additionally, Zivo said the man, along with his alleged wife, tried to get him to eat a plate of suspicious brownies that they themselves would not eat.

After the dinner, Zivo claimed that "the Chinese guy left the country shortly after for a trip to Dubai," and then lost contact.

Zivo reportedly never confirmed that the man was an actual spy.

Zivo told Press Progress that he drafted detailed reports for the National Post, CSIS, and the Ukrainian government. He also alleged that his work with the intelligence agencies was done through his own initiative and that he was not coerced to do so.

He reportedly insisted that there was "no problem" with what he did as it was to "protect fellow citizens from predatory foreign agents."

He also noted that his outlet was aware of his work as a spy.

"My actions were ethical," Zivo said. "Journalists working in war zones have a right to investigate threats to their safety, with the assistance of local security forces if necessary."

Readers did not agree with Zivo's position that he was acting within ethical guidelines.

"This is a pretty funny way to say 'I'm an SBU agent,'" one reply said.

"Have you shared in your reporting that you're also working on behalf of a foreign intelligence agency? Seems important, from a standpoint of journalistic integrity," another reader said.

Author Luke LeBrun pointed out that several of Zivo's articles about Ukraine overlapped with "his time as a foreign intelligence asset."

Zivo is still writing for the National Post. In fact, he wrote an article in support of Ukraine just three days after his revealing X post.

Aside from his clandestine operations, Zivo is also the founder and director of LoveisLoveisLove, a Canadian LGBTQ advocacy campaign.

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