It’s not the first time a US citizen has been suspected of espionage. In the course of the war against Ukraine, the situation between Washington and Moscow is very tense.
The Russian authorities are taking action against a Russian-born US citizen on “suspicion of espionage”. The Lefortovo court announced the new allegations against the businessman, who has already been sentenced to prison for bribery, according to Russian state media on Thursday. Information about the exact nature of the allegations is not yet known.
The man was born in Russia, according to media reports, but later moved to the United States and took US citizenship there. In September 2022, the company manager was sentenced in Moscow to three and a half years in prison after allegations of bribery. According to official information, those close to former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich were also involved in the case.
In recent years, multiple arrests of US citizens in Russia have caused a stir and strained relations between the two countries, in some cases even before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began. The American Paul Whelan was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020 on allegations of espionage. In 2022, basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested and accused of illegal drug possession – she was later exchanged for Russian arms dealer Viktor But, who was imprisoned in the United States.
In March of this year, the Russian secret service FSB arrested the “Wall Street Journal” reporter Evan Gershkovich – also on alleged espionage. Solid evidence of such espionage allegations has never been provided by Russian authorities.
US special envoy for hostage situations, Roger Carstens, promised in April to bring Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich home. At the same time, the US government has repeatedly called on its citizens to leave Russia since 2022.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
