Russian Man Sentenced to 17 Years for Spying for US

Dmitry Arkadyevich Shatresov, a 40-year-old Russian man, has been sentenced to 17 years in a high-security penal colony after being found guilty of high treason for attempting to pass classified information to a U.S. intelligence representative. The Moscow City Court delivered its verdict during a closed trial, reflecting a significant increase in prosecutions related to treason and espionage in Russia since the onset of the Ukraine conflict. According to Russian authorities, Shatresov obtained state secrets through illegal means, with the intent to transfer this information to American intelligence. The case highlights the broader crackdown by Russian intelligence services on suspected foreign collaborators, with at least 792 individuals charged with similar offenses since February 2022. Trials for such cases are typically held behind closed doors, and acquittals are extremely rare. The U.S. embassy in Moscow has not commented on the case, and Shatresov's lawyer declined to provide details.