Russia Detains Former UK Embassy Guard on Treason Charges

Russia's Federal Security Service announced on Thursday that it has detained a 45-year-old Russian national who worked as a security guard at the British Embassy in Moscow, accusing him of gathering sensitive information about British diplomats on behalf of Ukraine. According to the FSB, the man faces high treason charges under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code and has been placed in pretrial detention. Treason carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for men. The security service alleges the man was recruited in January by Ukrainian blogger Dmytro Karpenko, who uses the alias Apostol Dmitry and is associated with the Look for your Own project, a digital initiative launched by Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs after the 2022 invasion to help Russian families identify soldiers killed or captured. The FSB claims the blogger was acting on instructions from Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU. The agency said the suspect collected diplomats' personal details, photographs, home addresses, vehicles, itineraries, favorite restaurants, security arrangements and internal embassy schedules, including information about Ambassador Nigel Casey.