A Russian diplomat has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was caught selling secrets to US intelligence.
The moment Arseniy Konovalov was ambushed by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) was captured on video.
The clip, shared today across Russian media, shows the 38-year-old looking shocked as he is detained while traveling in a lorry after being told he was suspected of treason.
A separate video shows the diplomat behind bars while awaiting trial.
A Moscow court on Friday convicted a former Russian diplomat of treason and sentenced him to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
He was also fined the equivalent of $1,200.
“It has been proven that A.S. Konovalov, an employee of the Russian Foreign Ministry, during a long-term foreign mission in the United States, proactively transferred classified information to US intelligence in exchange for money,” the FSB said in a statement.
Konovalov was first arrested by the Federal Security Service, which leads Russian counterintelligence, in March 2024.
The moment Arseniy Konovalov was ambushed by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) was captured on video
A separate video clip shows the 38-year-old diplomat behind bars while awaiting trial
Konovalov will spend 12 years behind bars after a Moscow court convicted him of treason
The Federal Security Service did not say what information Konovalov transferred to American intelligence, or the American agency he was accused of working with.
There was no immediate comment from US spy agencies.
The Russian newspaper Kommersant said that Konovalov worked as second secretary of the Russian Consulate General in Houston.
The newspaper said that he worked in the United States from 2014 to 2017.