US condemns arrest of Robert Shonov in Russia

The US on Tuesday condemned the arrest of Robert Shonov, who is charged with "espionage" in Russia and was arrested by the Russian Federal Security Service.

"The United States strongly condemns the reported arrest of Robert Shonov, a former employee of the US Mission in Russia. The allegations against Mr. Shonov are wholly without merit," the State Department said in a statement.

Shonov is a Russian national and was employed by the US Consulate General in Vladivostok for more than 25 years.

"Following the Russian government's April 2021 order forcing the termination of all local staff employed at the U.S. Mission to Russia, Mr. Shonov was employed by a company contracted to provide services to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in strict compliance with Russia's laws and regulations," it said.

The US Embassy contracts for local services to operate its diplomatic mission, like any diplomatic mission around the world, including Russia's mission in the US, it said.

"Mr. Shonov's only role at the time of his arrest was to compile media summaries of press items from publicly available Russian media sources," said the statement, emphasizing that his being targeted under the "confidential cooperation" statute highlights the Russian Federation's blatant use of repressive laws against its citizens.

Russia charged Shonov on Monday following his arrest.

He was charged with committing a crime under Article 275.1 of the Russian criminal code, namely "cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organization."