A Russian, who was accused of wanting to give information to the United States, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for “high treason,” Russian agencies said Thursday, citing the security services.
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Dmitri Chatressov, arrested in January 2024, had “illegally obtained” state secrets and “intended to transfer them to a representative of the American intelligence services”, according to a press release from the Russian security services (FSB) relayed by the Ria Novosti agency.
He was sentenced Wednesday to 17 years in prison for “high treason,” the press service of the Moscow courts said the day before, without elaborating on the details of the case.
-Trials for espionage, high treason or confidential cooperation with foreign countries increased in Russia after the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Little information is available about these trials, which are generally held behind closed doors.
Human rights groups accuse Moscow of using these espionage accusations to punish critics of Vladimir Putin and the Ukraine offensive.
In recent years, several American citizens have also been arrested and sentenced to heavy sentences in Russia. Others are detained awaiting trial
