Russia opens a case for alleged espionage against a United States citizen

By Chantal Da Silva and Matthew Bodner -

Russia has opened a criminal case against a US citizen suspected of spying, the country's Federal Security Service announced Thursday.

The security service did not name the individual or say whether he had been taken into custody.

"The American is suspected of collecting intelligence information on biological topics directed against the security of the Russian Federation," the security service said.

He did not elaborate on the accusations against the individual.

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The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment made overnight.

The news comes weeks after WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner was released from Russian custody after the Biden government negotiated her release in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout.

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Griner was one of numerous US citizens detained in Russia in recent years.

She returned to the United States in December, nearly 10 months after her first arrest and subsequent imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Although the United States was able to negotiate his release, other Americans remain in custody in Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan, arrested in 2018 on espionage charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.

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Russia has so far refused to release Whelan, with the seriousness of the spying charges seen as a compelling reason.

Last week, Russia released a US citizen who had crossed into its Kaliningrad exclave weeks after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Taylor Dudley, 35, a US Navy veteran, had been backpacking in Europe when he crossed the Polish-Russian border in April, said Jonathan Franks, a lawyer representing families of Americans detained abroad, according to Reuters.

The circumstances surrounding how and why Dudley crossed the Russian border were unclear, as were details of how he was released.