A Russian court has sentenced Robert Shonov, a former US consulate employee in Vladivostok, to four years and 10 months in a penal colony on espionage charges.

Shonov was found guilty of collaborating with US officials on intelligence-related tasks concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and public opinion on domestic issues.

Shonov formerly led housekeeping operations at the Vladivostok consulate—a role reportedly affording him access to sensitive areas, though largely considered administrative. Russian authorities claim that beginning in 2022, Shonov undertook paid assignments for US embassy political officers Jeffrey Sillin and David Bernstein. Allegedly, his tasks included monitoring public opinion on the ongoing war in Ukraine and gauging attitudes toward the upcoming Russian presidential election. His duties reportedly entailed recording conversations, analysing local sentiment, and relaying findings to embassy contacts.

Following his arrest in March 2023, Shonov underwent an investigation by the Federal Security Service (FSB), which discovered various electronic devices and over RUB400,000 ($4,200) in his possession, later seized as evidence. Prosecutors stated that Shonov’s actions fell under Russia’s recent espionage legislation, enacted in July 2022, which criminalises undisclosed collaboration with foreign governments or organisations – even when no state secrets are involved. This law, introduced amid heightened geopolitical tensions, allows for sentences of up to eight years and requires citizens to report any professional associations with foreign entities.

The US Department of State has defended Shonov, asserting that he was wrongfully prosecuted under what it describes as increasingly repressive Russian laws aimed at restricting individual freedoms. A State Department spokesperson stated that Shonov’s duties were limited to compiling publicly accessible information from Russian media, clarifying that such work is routine and does not constitute espionage. Spokesperson Matthew Miller condemned the charges, calling them “blatant use of increasingly repressive laws against its own citizens.” The US government also criticised the expulsion of Sillin and Bernstein, both declared persona non grata in 2023, as another example of the Kremlin’s restrictive policies against foreign entities.