US accuses Russia of intimidation over former consulate worker’s spy charge

The United States has accused Russia of attempting to intimidate and harass Washington’s employees after Russian state media reported that a former US consulate worker was charged with collecting information on the war in Ukraine on behalf of Washington.

Russia’s state-run TASS news agency quoted Russia’s FSB security service as saying that Robert Shonov, a Russian national, had supplied information to US embassy staff in Moscow on how Russia’s conscription for the war in Ukraine was affecting political discontent inside Russia ahead of the country’s 2024 presidential election.