According to investigators, Shonov established “cooperative relationships on a confidential basis” in correspondence with certain United States officials in order to “assist them in activities knowingly directed against the security of Russia.”
According to Mediazona, the suspect referred to in the article on confidential cooperation with a foreign state in Vladivostok was arrested in March this year, but his name has not been called. The BBC’s Russian service suggests it was Shonov. The Vladivostok court’s press service said the suspect, whose name is classified, “disagreeing with the special military operation carried out by the armies of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, has established cooperation by correspondence on a confidential basis with representatives of the United States”.
On May 15, the TASS news agency announced Shonov’s arrest, giving his full name for the first time. He is in the Moscow remand center “Lefortovo”. Now the issue of extending the term of his arrest is being decided.
At the same time, the investigation requested an extension of the arrest of St. Petersburg artist Daniil Krinari. He is suspected of collaboration with Ukraine. Mediazona believes that the Shonov case is related to the Krinari case, as their case numbers differ by one digit, they are charged with the same articles and the requests for an extension of the sentence in the remand center were received in same time. time. Krinari was detained in Grodno on December 21, 2022, then extradited to Moscow at the request of the FSB. The artist’s wife denied her husband’s cooperation with Ukraine and linked her case to the Telegram channel he leads.
An article on “confidential cooperation with a foreign state” appeared in the Russian Criminal Code in July 2022. At the same time, actions under it do not contain signs of treason or espionage. The penalty under this article is three to eight years in prison.
The United States Consulate in Vladivostok announced the suspension of its activities on April 1, 2021 for the formal reason of a lack of staff.
The BBC writes about the arrest in the same article of a resident of Penza Maxim Zotov, he was accused of collaborating with the British intelligence services.
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