Russian Diplomat Jailed for Spying for U.S.

Arseniy Konovalov, a former Russian diplomat, received a 12-year sentence in a maximum-security colony for allegedly selling secrets to U.S. intelligence. Accused of treason, Konovalov served in the U.S. between 2014 and 2017. The FSB asserts his guilt, although specific details on the espionage remain undisclosed.

A former Russian diplomat was sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony after being found guilty of selling secrets to U.S. intelligence. The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday that Arseniy Konovalov committed treason during his diplomatic assignment in the United States.

Konovalov, who was born in 1987, is reported by the FSB to have proactively passed secret information to American intelligence for financial gain while working abroad for the Russian Foreign Ministry. The TASS news agency released footage of his arrest in March 2024, depicting him visibly shocked as he was detained by the FSB.

While the FSB has not disclosed the specific nature of the information shared or the exact U.S. agency involved, Russia's Kommersant newspaper confirmed Konovalov's role as the second secretary at the Russian Consulate General in Houston, where he worked from 2014 to 2017.

(With inputs from agencies.)