MOSCOW: Moscow authorities have reported the detention of a Russian citizen and former US consulate employee in Vladivostok, accusing him of passing sensitive information about the Ukraine conflict to American diplomats.
The detention was carried out by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), and the individual in question has been identified as Robert Robertovich Shonov.
The FSB released a statement detailing Shonov’s alleged activities, labeling him an informant for the US embassy in Moscow. According to the FSB, Shonov began providing information to American diplomats in September of the previous year, focusing on details about the Ukraine conflict and mobilization efforts.
Strained Diplomatic Relations Between US and Russia
The alleged information-sharing was a contentious issue within Russia due to the sensitive nature of the conflict and its implications, including the departure of military-aged individuals from the country.
The statement from the FSB also claimed that Shonov had been tasked with assessing protest sentiment in various regions of Russia in anticipation of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled for the next year.
The two American diplomats mentioned in the FSB statement, Jeffrey Silin and David Bernstein from the political department of the US embassy in Moscow, were reported to have received information from Shonov. The FSB revealed its intention to question the diplomats as part of the ongoing investigation.
This incident is the latest in a series of developments that have exacerbated tensions between Russia and the United States, particularly concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Diplomatic relations between the two nations have been strained for years, resulting in mutual expulsions of diplomatic staff and operational constraints on diplomatic facilities.
