Russia jails U.S. citizen Eugene Spector 15 years for espionage

Another American in Russian prison was convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony in July 2022.

Victor Olorunfemi • December 25, 2024

U.S. citizen Eugene Spector[Credit: The New York Times]

A Russian court has sentenced U.S. citizen Eugene Spector to 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of espionage.

Mr Eugene was already serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence for bribery after he was charged with espionage — the charge that a court in Moscow has now sentenced him to an additional 13 years’ imprisonment for on Tuesday following a closed-door trial.

According to the New York Times, the details of the charges levelled against the 52-year-old, who was born in Russia before moving to the U.S., were not made public, with many speculating Russia might seek to use him as leverage in negotiations for a future prisoner swap.

Mr Spector is the latest of the several Americans who have been sentenced to long-term imprisonment in Russia for spying, treason, drug trafficking and other crimes, which has heightened in recent years.

One of them is dual American and Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for treason after donating $50 to Ukraine’s armed forces.

Another American in Russian prison is a 63-year-old teacher and former U.S. Embassy employee, who was convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony in July 2022.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.