Russian man accused of treason after dealing with Five Eyes spy group — RT Russia & Former Soviet Union
A Russian man is facing treason charges after allegedly offering confidential information to intelligence officers from New Zealand, a member of the notorious ‘Five Eyes’.
The suspect, who is in his mid-50s, was identified by the Federal Security Service (FSB) as a resident of Khabarovsk in eastern Russia. He was arrested after reportedly providing “information that can be used to harm Russian security,” the agency said in a statement on Monday. New Zealand is a member of the Five Eyes, a Western intelligence-sharing alliance, where it works closely with the US, UK, Australia and Canada.
According to Russian counter-espionage authorities, the New Zealanders were interested in classified information regarding military cooperation with nations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The FSB said the suspect had betrayed Russia for financial reasons. Officers who conducted a search at his residence found stacks of US banknotes stored in a bank bag, with the sum valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.
The Five Eyes began in World War II as a group dedicated to the collection and sharing of signal intelligence. Its global surveillance programs drew criticism after the scale of the espionage was exposed by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Critics say members exploit intelligence sharing to evade domestic legal restrictions on spying.
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