Video: A 55-year-old spy accused of spying for New Zealand has been detained in Russia
On July 27, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of a 55-year-old resident of Khabarovsk suspected of treason. According to the Russian intelligence agency, the man allegedly passed information to New Zealand’s intelligence service.
The FSB claims that the detainee, “on his own initiative,” established contact with a representative of New Zealand’s intelligence service, which is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which also includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
According to the Russian intelligence agency, the man allegedly used email and messaging apps to pass information to foreign intelligence services that “could be used against Russia’s security.” The FSB also stated that New Zealand was interested in information regarding Russia’s military-technical cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
A criminal case has been opened against the detainee under the article on high treason. The penalty under this article provides for punishment of up to life imprisonment.
The FSB also released a video of the arrest, showing the man being detained right on the street, followed by a search of his residence. In the footage, security service officers display bundles of dollars, which they claim were discovered during the investigation.
At this time, there is no independent confirmation of the Russian security service’s statements or the detainee’s position regarding the charges brought against him.
This was reported by Russian media, citing the FSB’s Public Relations Center.
As a reminder, in Russia, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced 31-year-old Oleksandr Mityuk, a resident of the Luhansk region, to five and a half years in a penal colony on charges of “participation in a terrorist group.”
A man in Russia was convicted for using emojis in a building chat group.
In Russia, a soldier was convicted for setting a plane on fire at the behest of phone scammers.
