A Russian woman who worked inside the US embassy in Moscow for more than ten years has been accused of spying.
The unidentified woman, who was fired in 2017 after her security clearance was revoked, reportedly had access to the secret service’s intranet and email systems, potentially giving her access to confidential information, including schedules of the US president and vice-president.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Maria Butina: alleged Russian spy ‘offered sex’ for political access Translator invited into Downing Street suspected of being Russian spy Beware of Russian honeytraps, MI5 tells UK business
A senior administration official told CNN: “We figure that all of them are talking to the FSB, but she was giving them way more information than she should have.”
The Regional Security Office reportedly alerted the secret service of its findings in January 2017. However, the woman continued to work at the embassy for some time before the secret service “decided to let her go quietly months later, possibly to contain any potential embarrassment”, says The Guardian.
The woman had her security clearance revoked and she was dismissed shortly before a number of US embassy staff were expelled by Moscow, following US sanctions against Russia.
The secret service issued a statement that “did not deny she was a mole, but downplayed her role” at the embassy, reports The Daily Telegraph.
-
How China is battling the chikungunya virusUnder The Radar Thousands of cases of the debilitating disease have been found in the country
-
Deep thoughts: AI shows its math chopsFeature Google's Gemini is the first AI system to win gold at the International Mathematical Olympiad
-
Book reviews: 'Face With Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji' and 'Blood Harmony: The Everly Brothers Story'Feature The surprising history of emojis and the brother duo who changed pop music
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across SyriaTHE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weaponsThe Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarrayIn the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
