A Russian man accused of trying to provide classified state information to the United States was sentenced to 17 years in prison, Russian news outlets reported on Thursday.
Dmitry Shatresov was arrested in January 2024 on charges that he had obtained classified information using "illegal methods" with the intent of transferring it to "a representative of American intelligence," Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said, according to the Kremlin-controlled news agency Tass. On Wednesday, a court reported he was found guilty of high treason.
Why It Matters
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has gone to great lengths to pursue individuals critical of the war. High-profile dissidents have faced severe sentences, with some prominent figures sent abroad as part of a recent prisoner swap with Western countries.
In addition, detentions on charges of spying and collecting sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since the start of the war.
Reuters reported that Pervy Otdel, a Russian lawyers' association, said that at least 792 individuals in Russia have faced charges related to treason, espionage or cooperating with a foreign state since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022.
What To Know
The Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti reported FSB officers detained Shatresov last January while he was attempting to transfer classified materials.
The Russian newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva wrote that Shatresov's case was heard in the Moscow City Court. The paper said the court's press service posted a notice on Wednesday that Shatresov was found guilty of high treason.
According to Vechernyaya Moskva, the court's press service said Shatresov will serve his 17-year sentence in amaximum security penal colony. He is also required to pay a fine.
U.S. Citizen Imprisoned Sentenced On Espionage Charges
Shatresov's trial comes after a United States citizen who is currently jailed in Russia on bribery charges received an additional 15-year sentence for espionage last month.
Eugene Spector was already locked up in Russia on a bribery conviction when he was sentenced last month for espionage, though the specifics of the allegations remain undisclosed.
Once a prominent executive in Russia's medical equipment industry, Spector received a 3.5-year prison sentence in September 2022 for facilitating bribes to Anastasia Alekseyeva, an aide to former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. Alekseyeva, in turn, was sentenced to 12 years behind bars after accepting lavish bribes in the form of two high-end international vacations.
Spector was formerly a Soviet Union citizen, per Russian business daily newspaper Kommersant and was taken into custody by a Moscow court in 2023.
What's Next
No other details were announced regarding Shatresov's sentence.
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