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.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
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 every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
