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Russian government condemns arrest of alleged spies
by Joseph Ernest June 29, 2010
Newscast Media -- The Russian government has condemned the FBI's arrest of 11 secret agents as "deplorable" at a tine when The Kremlin is trying to improve relations with Washington. The defendants have been classified as "illegals" working deep undercover with false identities, to infiltrate U.S. government policy-making circles.
The scandal comes just days after Russian president Medvedev met with Obama, on a visit designed to portray improved relations between Russia and the U.S. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said, "The only thing I can say today is that the moment for making the arrests has been chosen with special elegance."
Each of the 10 was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Court papers allege that the defendants led ordinary lives"deepening" their false identities by taking ordinary jobs, living as married couples, having children and even trying to buy homes in the US.
Prosecutors claim: “Illegals will sometimes pursue degrees at target-country universities, obtain employment, and join relevant professional associations; these activities deepen an illegal’s ‘legend’."
“Illegals often operate in pairs – being placed together by Moscow Centre while in Russia, so that they can live together and work together in a host country, under the guise of a married couple." (Add Comments)
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