Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Suspected of Spying for CIA Arrested in Moscow

Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency

A Moscow court has charged a Russian citizen suspected of spying for the CIA with high treason.

The arrest comes weeks after a shipyard worker was deported to Ukraine for allegedly working with Ukrainian security forces. In September, two Russian citizens were arrested in Crimea on suspicion of passing information about Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to Kiev.

The state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Tuesday that Russian national Alexei Zhitnyuk was suspected of giving the CIA sensitive information relating to the Russian Navy.

Zhitnyuk was arrested on Nov. 30 and will be kept in custody until Jan. 29, court spokesperson Yekaterina Krasnova was cited as saying by the Interfax news agency.

“The defense already appealed this decision,” she was cited by Interfax as saying, though she added that the appeal date had not been set.

The court did not provide additional information about the case because of its “top secret” status.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more