A Russian diplomat has been sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony after being convicted of high treason for spying for the United States.
Diplomat's Recruitment and Betrayal
Arseny Konovalov, 38, a former official with the Russian Foreign Ministry, was found guilty of passing classified information to American intelligence services for money. The court heard that his betrayal began during a posting to the United States.
Konovalov was recruited by the CIA while serving as Second Secretary at the Russian Consulate General in Houston between 2014 and 2017. According to the judicial findings, he "voluntarily" provided secret data to the US over a sustained period in exchange for financial reward.
Arrest and Detention by the FSB
The Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Konovalov in March 2024, though details of the case were kept secret until now. Dramatic footage showed the moment of his arrest in a minibus, where an FSB operative informed him he was being held on suspicion of high treason.
When asked if he understood what was happening, Konovalov replied, "No. We’ll need to look into it." Following his arrest, he was swiftly dismissed from the Russian foreign ministry. His wife, Ekaterina Konovalova-Kuznetsova, who also worked as a diplomat, was not implicated in the charges.
Parallel Case: British Man Arrested in Ukraine
In a related development highlighting ongoing espionage tensions, a British national was recently arrested in Ukraine on suspicion of working for Russian intelligence. Ross David Cutmore is alleged to have been recruited by the FSB to gather sensitive information on Ukrainian military positions.
Prosecutors in Kyiv claim he provided coordinates of Ukrainian units, photos of training areas, and identifying details of personnel. Cutmore, who was in Ukraine training recruits in firearms and tactics, is said to have agreed to spy for "easy money." He faces up to 12 years in a Ukrainian prison if convicted.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is providing consular assistance to the detained man and remains in close contact with Ukrainian authorities.
