A court in Vladivostok, located in Russia’s far east, delivered its verdict on Friday against a former U.S. consulate worker, sentencing him to four years and ten months in prison on charges of cooperating with a foreign state.
Robert Shonov, who had been employed at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok, was taken into custody in May 2023. The FSB, Russia’s principal domestic security agency, accused him of gathering intelligence related to the ongoing military operations in Ukraine, the activation of partial military call-ups in various Russian regions, and the potential impact on public protests leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
The U.S. State Department criticized the arrest last year, asserting that the allegations against Shonov were completely baseless.
Shonov faced charges under a recent Russian law that criminalizes confidential cooperation with foreign entities aimed at undermining Russia’s security. Critics of the Kremlin and advocates for human rights have pointed out that this law is vaguely defined and could be exploited to punish any Russian individual with ties to foreign organizations. The law itself allows for a maximum prison sentence of eight years.
As noted by the State Department, Shonov had a long tenure of over 25 years at the consulate before it shuttered in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. Following a directive from the Russian government in April 2021, which mandated the termination of all local personnel at U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia, Shonov worked for a company that the U.S. engaged to assist its embassy in Moscow.
According to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, Shonov’s responsibilities at the time of his arrest were limited to creating media summaries based on publicly available information from Russian media.
During the investigation, Shonov was held in Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, a facility known for its severe conditions, but his trial took place in the Primorsky District Court of Vladivostok.
Alongside his prison sentence, Shonov has been ordered to serve time in a general regime penal colony, pay a fine of 1 million rubles (equivalent to just over $10,000), and endure additional restrictions for 16 months following his release.