Russia jails ex-US consular employee on security charges

MOSCOW — 

A tribunal successful Russia's acold eastbound said connected Friday it had convicted Robert Shonov, a erstwhile U.S. consular employee, of illegally and covertly cooperating with the U.S. authorities to harm Russia's nationalist information and had jailed him for astir 5 years.

Russia's FSB information work detained Shonov, a Russian national, successful Vladivostok successful May 2023 and accused him of taking wealth to covertly proviso U.S. diplomats with accusation that was perchance harmful to Russia.

The United States connected Saturday condemned the conviction, calling it "an egregious injustice."

"The allegations against Mr. Shonov are wholly fictitious and without merit," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said successful a statement.

A tribunal successful the Primorsky portion successful Russia's acold eastbound confirmed successful a connection connected Friday that it had recovered Shonov blameworthy and had sentenced him to 4 years and 10 months successful a penal colony.

Video of the verdict being read, released by the court, showed Shonov listening wrong a courtroom cage arsenic the justice sentenced him.

The FSB published a video successful August 2023 showing a purported confession by Shonov successful which helium said 2 elder U.S. diplomats based successful Moscow whom Russia aboriginal expelled had asked him to cod accusation astir Russia's warfare effort successful Ukraine, its annexation of "new territories," its subject mobilization and the 2024 Russian statesmanlike election.

In the video, Shonov said helium was told to stitchery "negative" accusation connected these topics, to look for signs of fashionable protest, and to bespeak these successful his reports.

It was not wide whether helium was speaking nether duress.

Shonov was employed by the U.S. Consulate General successful Vladivostok for much than 25 years until Russia successful 2021 ordered the dismissal of the U.S. mission's section staff.