Russian Nuclear Weapons Expert Receives 15 Years in Prison for Spying for United States

The Moscow City Court today sentenced Russian nuclear weapons expert Igor Sutyagin to 15 years in prison for providing nuclear weapons-related information to the United States (see GSN, April 6).

The court ordered that Sutyagin serve his term in a prison camp with a special tough regime, Agence France-Presse reported. 

Sutyagin was charged with collecting information on Russia’s nuclear submarines and missile warning systems and passing it to U.S. intelligence while working for the Alternative Futures consulting firm, an alleged CIA front. Sutyagin, however, argued that the information was from open sources and that he submitted the information to the firm while working under a legal freelance contract, AFP reported.

Sutyagin’s defense attorneys plan to appeal the verdict to the Russian Supreme Court, and failing there, the European Court of Human Rights, AFP reported.

The U.S. State Department yesterday criticized Sutyagin’s closed trial, noting its “lack of transparency and due process.” (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, April 7).

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