Russia charges ex U.S. consulate employee with spying

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Monday it has charged a former U.S. consulate employee with spying on information about Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, reported Xinhua.

The FSB said in a statement that it "stopped the illegal activities" of an informant of the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russian citizen Robert Shonov, who was a former employee at the U.S. Consulate General in Vladivostok.

Shonov is accused of collecting information for the U.S. Embassy about the course of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, including on mobilization processes in Russia's regions, and on potential "problematic aspects" that could spur protest sentiment in the country ahead of the presidential elections.

The FSB has charged Shonov with committing a crime under Article 275.1 of the Russian Criminal Code which punishes cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state.

It said Shonov passed information to two U.S. diplomats working at the political department of the embassy, adding that they would be questioned as part of the investigation.