Former Russian Police Officer Sentenced To 13 Years For Espionage

By The Moscow Times

Nov. 12, 2015

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) flag. Yuri Gripas / Reuters

A former Moscow policeman has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Interfax news agency reported Thursday, citing a statement from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the Soviet KGB.

A Moscow regional court on Thursday convicted former Ministry of Internal Affairs officer Yevgeny Chistov with treason in the form of espionage after the man “pled completely guilty, confirmed the fact that he was recruited by the CIA, and delivered to them information on ministry activities,” Interfax reported.

According to Interfax, Chistov's case file shows that in 2011, the officer, ?€?acting out of selfish motives, took the initiative to make contact with the CIA,?€? and began transferring state secrets out of the country.

Chistov's case is the latest in an alarming string of spy scandals to shake Russia since the start of the Ukraine crisis in early 2014.

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