Russian court hands down 5-year sentence to former US Consulate worker

A court in Vladivostok, Russia, has sentenced a former worker of the US Consulate to four years and 10 months in prison. Robert Shonov, a Russian citizen, was convicted of cooperating with a foreign state.

Shonov was arrested in May 2023 by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). He was accused of collecting information regarding the military operation in Ukraine, a partial mobilisation in Russian regions, and its impact on public protests before the 2024 presidential election.

The US State Department strongly rejected the charges against Shonov, saying that the allegations "are wholly without merit."

Shonov faced charges under a new Russian law that penalizes confidential cooperation with foreign entities against Russia's security. This law is criticised for being too broad and targeting Russians with foreign connections. Violations can lead to an eight-year prison sentence.

Shonov had worked at the US Consulate in Vladivostok for over 25 years until its closure in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

After a Russian directive in 2021 mandated the dismissal of local employees at US diplomatic sites, Shonov joined a contracting company supporting the US Embassy in Moscow.

In May 2023, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller clarified that Shonov's duties at the time were limited to compiling media summaries from public Russian sources.

Shonov was detained in Moscow's Lefortovo Prison pending investigation and was later tried in Vladivostok's Primorsky District Court.

Along with his prison term, Shonov was fined 1 million rubles (over $10,000) and will face additional restrictions for 16 months following his sentence.