Russia arrests an American, accuses him of spying

(Image credit: Michail Shishov/AFP/Getty Images)

published 31 December 2018

Russia's FSB domestic security agency said Monday it has arrested a U.S. citizen caught "during an espionage operation" in Moscow on Friday, but did not provide further detail. Russia's Tass news agency identified the alleged spy as Paul Whelan, noting that espionage charges carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. There has been no U.S. response to the arrest yet. Russia's spy announcement comes at a recent low point in U.S.-Russia relations; the U.S. has sanctioned Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its interference in the 2016 election, and both countries have expelled each other's suspected intelligence agents. Two weeks ago, Russian gun-rights activist Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiring with Republican operatives as an agent of Moscow and agreed to cooperated with U.S. investigators.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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