On Monday, Russia’s domestic security service revealed that a former employee of the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, Robert Shonov, has been charged with illegally gathering information about the war in Ukraine and passing it on to American officials. The Federal Security Service (F.S.B.) announced the charges against Mr. Shonov, a Russian national who was apprehended in May. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence ranging from three to eight years.
There has been no immediate response from the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok or the State Department regarding these charges. However, when Mr. Shonov was detained, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller made a statement condemning his arrest and deeming the allegations against him as baseless.
According to Mr. Miller, Mr. Shonov had served at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok for a quarter of a century before transitioning to a private contractor position for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in April 2021. This change occurred after the Russian government mandated the dismissal of all Russian staff members at U.S. diplomatic missions within the country.
Mr. Miller clarified that Mr. Shonov’s responsibility was to compile summaries of news reports from publicly accessible Russian media sources, with his employment fully aligning with Russian laws and regulations.
In its recent statement, the F.S.B. revealed its intention to interrogate two other employees of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, accusing them of directing Mr. Shonov’s activities.
Mr. Shonov’s arrest took place during a heightened period of tension in U.S.-Russian relations. This turbulence stemmed from President Vladimir V. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the March detainment of Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist working for The Wall Street Journal who has been charged by the Russian government with espionage. Mr. Gershkovich is presently held in extended pretrial detention until at least November 30.
Furthermore, in 2018, Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine and corporate security executive, was arrested in Moscow on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
American officials have vehemently refuted the accusations against both Mr. Whelan and Mr. Gershkovich, asserting that they are unjustly detained. This categorization essentially implies that the U.S. government considers them to be political hostages.
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