Moscow announced on Thursday that it is expelling two U.S. Embassy employees for allegedly “collaborating” with a former U.S. consulate worker who has been accused by Russian authorities of spying for Washington.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry stated that the two American diplomats, Jeffery Sillin and David Bernstein, were involved in “illegal activities by collaborating with a Russian citizen, [Robert] Shonov.”
“The U.S. ambassador was informed that Sillin and Bernstein must leave the territory of Russia within seven days as persona non grata,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
Shonov had been employed by the U.S. consulate in Vladivostok for over 25 years until 2021, when Moscow implemented restrictions on local staff working for foreign missions.
In May, he was arrested for gathering information on Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, its military draft, and protest activities leading up to the 2024 Russian presidential elections.
“The illicit actions of the U.S. diplomatic mission, including interference in the internal affairs of the host country, are unacceptable and will be firmly suppressed,” stated Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
The U.S. has declared that the charges against Shonov, who could face a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted, are “completely baseless.”
