A Russian man is facing treason charges after allegedly passing classified information to intelligence officers from New Zealand, a member of the notorious ‘Five Eyes’ group.
The suspect, who is in his mid-50s, was identified by the Federal Security Service (FSB) as a resident of Khabarovsk in eastern Russia. He was arrested after it was reported “information that could be used to harm Russia’s security,” the organization said in its statement on Monday. New Zealand is a member of Five Eyes, the Western intelligence cooperation alliance, where it works closely with the US, UK, Australia and Canada.
According to Russian counterintelligence authorities, the New Zealanders were interested in classified information about military cooperation with nations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The FSB said the suspect betrayed Russia for financial reasons. Officers who searched his residence found a stack of American bills stored in a bank bag, the money being worth tens of thousands of dollars.
You can share this story on social networks:
Follow RT on
