A Moscow court on Friday sentenced a former Foreign Ministry employee who once worked at one of Russia’s consulates in the United States to 12 years in prison for passing information to U.S. intelligence officials.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Arseniy Konovalov was arrested in March 2024 on suspicion of providing classified information to American intelligence in exchange for money during his posting at Russia’s Consulate General in Houston between 2014 and 2017.
The FSB did not disclose what information Konovalov was accused of transferring or when the alleged contacts took place. According to unconfirmed reports in the Russian press, he was recruited by the CIA.
State media published FSB footage on Friday showing Konovalov’s arrest in 2024 and his later appearances in court. Russian enforcement authorities had not previously reported his arrest or any of the charges against him.
The Moscow City Court found Konovalov guilty of high treason and sentenced him to 12 years in a high-security penal colony, the FSB said. He was also fined 100,000 rubles ($1,200).
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