Russian media reports say the Moscow City Court sentenced Tajikistan-born IT specialist Firouz Dadoboyev to 13 1/2 years in prison on October 29. The sentence reportedly followed his conviction on charges of treason. The court also imposed a 300,000-ruble (US$3,080) fine on him.
Citing the Federal Security Service (FSB), TASS says he was jailed for trying to pass secrets to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Firouz Dadoboyev reportedly has dual Russian and American citizenship.
The FSB said Dadoboyev tried to pass illegally obtained state secrets to a representative of the CIA. Video published by Russian media showed him being detained near woodland in October 2022.
According to the FSB, Dadoboyev pleaded guilty.
The number of treason cases has been on rise in Russia since Moscow launched its so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill stiffening the penalty for treason to life in prison.
