American Citizen of Russian Origin Detained on Espionage Charges in Moscow

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Moscow

Dnevnik Express

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A Moscow court authorized the detention of an American citizen of Russian origin on espionage charges on Thursday. Yevgeny (Gene) Spector also has a Russian passport.

“The court granted the investigator’s request to arrest Spector, who is suspected of espionage,” the Interfax news agency reported, citing the court.

The case of Spector, who pleaded guilty and entered into an agreement to cooperate with the investigation, was heard twice in court. In September 2022, the Ostankino Court in Moscow sentenced him to 3.5 years in prison for brokering a bribe in the case of Anastasia Alekseeva, aide to former Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. Alekseeva herself was also convicted of corruption.

As explained by the court, the meeting was held behind closed doors, as the materials in the case are classified. No further details of the charges or the identity of those detained were released.

After the journalist’s detention, the US called on Americans to leave Russia

In March, the Russian authorities American journalist Evan Gershkovich was also detained for espionage, and a month later he was charged. Gershkovich, who worked for the Wall Street Journal in Russia at the time of his detention, remains in custody awaiting trial.