“broadcast classified information”, Russia sends former US consulate employee to prison

A former Russian businessman of the US consulate in the eastern Russian town of Vladivostok has been sentenced to four years and ten months in prison for “secret co-operation with a foreign state”.

Robert Shonov worked for more than 25 years for the American consulate until 2021, when Moscow imposed restrictions on local staff working for foreign missions.

Later, he worked as a private contractor by compiled press accounts from Russian publicly accessable media “into strict compliance with Russia's laws and regulations”, the US State Department announced.

Anti-Mr. Shonov are completely baseless”, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in response to the charges.

Shonov was arrested in 2023 on suspicion that he had passed classified information on Russia's war in Ukraine in exchange for money.

According to the ruling published on the Primorye Regional Court website on Friday, 400,000 rubles (4,100 dollars) and an electronic device were seized.

In September 2023, Russia also expelled two American diplomats, who accused them of acting as liaison agents for Shonov.

Russia charged with intimidation of US consulate staff on war spying charges in Ukraine

In recent years, some American citizens have been arrested and sentenced to long imprisonments in Russia. Others are being held in expectation of judgment.

Washington, who supports Ukraine militarily and financially against the Russian occupation, accuses Moscow of wanting to trade them with Russians held in the United States.

The United States and Russia exchanged prisoners, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, in a historic exchange in August, but some American citizens and dual citizens remain in custody in Russia.