The Primorsky Regional Court sentenced former employee of the US Consulate General in Vladivostok, Robert Shonov, to four years and ten months in prison on charges of 'confidential cooperation with a foreign state', reported the joint press service of the regional judicial system. The accused was also fined 1 million rubles, and after serving the term, his freedom will be restricted for one year and four months. 400 thousand rubles and an 'electronic device used in the commission of the crime' were confiscated from him.
According to the FSB, Robert Shonov, as an 'informant of the US Embassy in Moscow', collected information 'on the progress of the special military operation, mobilization processes in the regions of Russia', as well as 'on problematic issues and their impact on protest activity of the population ahead of the presidential elections in the Russian Federation in 2024' from September 2022 until his arrest.
According to the prosecution, Shonov, 'disagreeing with the Russian special military operation in Ukraine', established 'through correspondence' confidential cooperation with US representatives for the purpose of assisting them in activities 'knowingly directed against the security of the Russian Federation'. The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Shonov maintained contact with American diplomats Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein, who were declared persona non grata in 2023.
62-year-old Shonov was arrested in the spring of 2023. The US State Department condemned his detention, considering the charges unfounded. After the disbandment of the American consulate in Moscow, Shonov got a job at a company providing services to the US Embassy in Moscow, and at the time of his arrest, Shonov's only duty was compiling materials from publicly available Russian media, the department reported.
Robert Shonov worked at the American consulate in Vladivostok for more than 25 years. During this time, 13 consuls changed, whom he assisted.
Photo: Kommersant