Russia: Capturing American "Moles"
According to Reuters on August 28, Russia's Tass News Agency said the same day that the Russian Federal Security Service accused a former employee of the United States Consulate in the Russian Far East of collecting information on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other aspects for Washington.
TASS quoted the Russian Federal Security Agency as saying that suspect Robert Shonov revealed to staff members of the US Embassy in Moscow that the conscription movement "sparked political dissatisfaction" before the 2024 presidential election in Russia.
The Russian Federal Security Agency said it plans to inquire about US embassy employees who have connections with Shonov.
In addition, according to Russian Sputnik News Agency on August 28, the Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal Security Agency released a news that Russian Federal Security Agency personnel stopped the illegal activities of Robert Schonov, an informant of the United States Embassy, a former employee of the United States Consulate General in Vladivostok and a Russian citizen, in Moscow.
According to the news, "The Russian Federal Security Agency has stopped the illegal activities of Robert Shonov, an informant of the US Embassy in Russia, a former employee of the US Consulate General in Vladivostok, and a Russian citizen."
On May 18, 2023, Shonov was preparing to appear in court in Moscow.
![Russia: Capturing American "Moles"](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/dbbeef6f58c3208709bfbd44c568e5a4.jpg)
According to the center's information, starting from September 2022, Shonov has been carrying out tasks assigned by Jeffrey Schilling and David Bernstein, political staff of the United States Embassy in Russia, in order to receive material rewards. The information collected by Shonov involves the progress of special military operations, mobilization processes in various regions of Russia, and the impact of public protests before the 2024 Russian presidential election.
The Public Relations Center of the Federal Security Agency of Russia stated, "We plan to conduct questioning of the above-mentioned US diplomats."
According to reports, Shonov was detained in Vladivostok in March.
The US State Department stated that Shonov worked at the US Consulate General in Vladivostok for over 25 years. After American diplomats were banned from hiring Russians, he transferred to a local company that provided services to the embassy in Russia in strict accordance with Russian laws and regulations. According to the US State Department, his job is to write summaries of Russian news.