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Arseniy Konovalov found guilty of sharing classified information in exchange for money
22:26, Fri, Dec 26, 2025 Updated: 22:27, Fri, Dec 26, 2025
Arseniy Konovalov was sentenced to maximum security prison (Image: Getty)
A former Russian diplomat has been sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security penal colony after being convicted of treason for passing state secrets to the US, the Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Friday.
Arseniy Konovalov, 38, was found guilty by a Russian court and ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 roubles (£938) in addition to his prison term. According to the FSB, Konovalov deliberately shared classified information with American intelligence services in exchange for money while serving abroad.
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Konovalov deliberately shared classified information with American intelligence services (Image: Getty)
Konovalov was arrested in March 2024, although Russian authorities did not publicly disclose his detention or the charges at the time.
Investigators said the alleged espionage occurred during his posting to Russia’s consulate general in Houston, where he worked as second secretary between 2014 and 2017.
In a statement, the FSB said it had been established that Konovalov, an employee of the Russian foreign ministry, transferred secret information to US intelligence during a “long-term foreign assignment”.
The agency did not reveal what information was allegedly shared or which American intelligence service received it.
Unconfirmed reports circulating on Russian social media platforms suggested that Konovalov had been recruited by the CIA during his time in the US. US intelligence agencies have not commented on the case.
Russian state media aired video footage released by the FSB showing Konovalov’s arrest and later court proceedings.
The footage shows officers detaining him, confiscating his phone and escorting him in handcuffs before he appears in Moscow’s Lefortovo District Court, a venue frequently used for high-profile security cases.
Konovalov’s conviction comes amid a sharp increase in treason and espionage cases in Russia.
According to the rights group Pervy Otdel, more than 470 people were convicted of treason, espionage or secret co-operation with foreign entities in 2025 alone, with hundreds more currently under investigation.
Rights organisations say such charges are increasingly being used to stifle dissent and intimidate critics of the Kremlin.
Courts in Russia rarely acquit defendants in national security cases, which are often held behind closed doors. Sentences have also grown longer, with the average prison term for treason rising significantly over the past year.
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