E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSMOSCOW – A military court on Friday convicted a Russian officer of passing missile secrets to the CIA and sentenced him to 13 years in prison, officials said.
Lt. Col. Vladimir Nesterets was also stripped of his military rank after he pleaded guilty to passing classified information -- about tests involving Russia's latest strategic missiles, according to BBC News -- to the CIA for money, according to the Federal Security Service, the main agency that replaced the KGB.
The agency said Nesterets committed treason as he worked as a senior engineer at the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia near the Arctic Circle, a facility the military uses to launch satellites and test missiles.
The security service's terse statement did not say when Nesterets had been arrested or give any further details about his case.
Russia's missile program has seen a series of embarrassing setbacks in recent years, though not necessarily involving the Plesetsk base, the BBC said. Most prominently, the submarine-launched Bulava ballistic missile was hit by a series of test failures before being finally approved in December.
Growing U.S.-Russian tension
The spy conviction also comes amid growing tension in U.S.-Russian relations, despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" them, following strains that had developed during the previous U.S. administration.
Relations between Moscow and Washington have worsened over a U.S.-led missile defense system being developed by NATO around Europe, and Russia teaming with China to block a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also has been increasingly eager to challenge the U.S. as he campaigns to reclaim his nation's presidency in next month's election.
He has accused Washington of fueling the massive protests that have recently taken place against his rule in order to weaken the nation.
The conviction also came just days after President Dmitry Medvedev told a Federal Security Service meeting that foreign governments were stepping up their spying activities in the country, according to a report by the AFP news agency.
Medvedev praised the Federal Security Service for exposing 199 foreign spies and agents last year, AFP reported. He added that some of those detained were Russians working for Western countries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More from NBC News and msnbc.com:
Leave a Comment:
the russians do it to us all the time so its about time we do it back to them see how it feels because they shouldnt be threatening our nation if we take russian secrets cause they do it to us more times than i can recall and china too
They should give him a medal considering how bad Russian missile success rate has been.
.
Russkies are getting soft. In the old days the traitor would have been shot or sent to Gulag for life. There should be no mercy for traitors.
In Russia, missle flys you
Yeah, Russian (human beings in general) people wanting honest politicians have nothing to do with the protests. Being tired of watching politicians get rich through their dirty dealings in the name of their people might not have anything to do with it.
The US paid money for Russian missile secrets ? These are the same people whose rocket to Mars, stopped at earth's orbit, loitered for 2 months, then crashed into the Pacific. We should arrest this Russian colonel for selling defective goods. That is the monopoly of the Chinese and Walmart !
putin is eager to pick fight with us and once he becomes president again 3rd time i fear obama is no match for putin because he strong and he will treat obama like school girl with legs wide open for deeper ramming. Face the facts obama is weak and he can take on weak nations like libya ect but no way he take on putin no way and obama has history of appeasement and now that putin wants take us on this whole selling us eastern europe over missle defense shield was mistake we got nothing out if it but all i have say is that appeaseing russians will only make it harder later on
You need to go take a cold shower -- you're Putin envy is running down your chin...
Dear KrazyD111, aka The Idiot!
Please read more news before making stupid comment.
You heard about Bin ladin Right? Yeah, dude got shot in the face.
You heard Iran threaten to shut down the sea strait and will attack any force attempt to cross. The 5th fleet was ordered to cross the straight and yup, all Iran did was "One more time, I dare you one more time".
Smart man use diplomatic but carry a big stick (shot Bin laden in the face, dared Iran to attack, continue to set up missile shield in Euro, etc..).
Hater
Thanks, van. Anyone that says that President Obama displays some sort of weakness to other nations has to participate is some powerful cognitive dissonance or outright delusion. Who ordered a squad into a sovereign, foreign country to take out OBL? That is all that needs to be said. Even the Republican candidates have stayed away from this traditionally polarizing issue. They know that Pres. Obama brought the pain when he needed to. OBL is just one of many examples. Smart, measured, aggressive pursuit of national interests.
Relax- this has got to be Rush Limp-pole trying to be funny.
I don't think so... as long as we have nukes we won't have any problem with Russia or China.
this is when i want a republican as president because they know how to deal with Russia and keep our military in top shape..
Gee I wonder why Osama and all his buddies are dead but BUSH AND CHENEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!!
They had 8 years and the very same military options but THEY FAILED!!!
WW I and WW II were lead by 2 democratic Presidents. These are what the adult call facts.
The Russian was defeated by something we call economy laws.
the Republicans had one great war leader and his name was Lincoln. The party has changed a bit since then
I think our problem is Iraq and Iran take care of them and I think things will settle down. Im convinced Iran is going to be a bigger problem then people think.
The only way for the Middle East to settle down is to remove the Russian and Chinese influence from the area. The Chinese and Russian influence that I speak of are those lead by Putin and the leadership of China that want to rule the Earth.
Or for everyone in the region to suddenly renounce their religion and just live their lives peacefully with their neighbors. That would be a HUGE help.
"The Chinese and Russian influence that I speak of are those lead by Putin and the leadership of China that want to rule the Earth."
I don't know what you been smoking.The only country that acts like it wants to rule the earth is us.
Gee whiz, Uncle Bob. What about the strangle hold Putin holds on natural gas provided to Europe for heat? What about his henchmen poisoning the Georgian President because he is a proponent of democracy & a West-leaning fellow then invading Georgia claiming Russia was attacked by Georgian soldiers? What about those joint military exercises Russia held with China--don't you think that was an exhibition of whose is bigger--yours or ours? What about the pressure exercised by the Kremlin to discontinue any airbases we use to provide access to Afghanistan in a couple of countries in the region? Don't forget their military and other western military were involved in Afghanistan in recent years as well. This is their attempt to force us to fail in the region. What about the Kremlin's squashing pro-Democratic elections in previous Soviet satellite nations so that pro-Kremlin dictators would be elected? What about their (and China's) veto of a UN resolution to force Syria's Pres either to step down or stopping the violence and instituting democratic elections? What about Putin's mouthpieces blaming America for the anger and discontent of the Russian people regarding Putin's politics, making it seem as though Russian people were too dumb to know what they wanted? The jerk isn't smart enough to give his own people any credit for intelligence and that perhaps is another reason his people are sick of him. Ya better rethink your position regarding whether we are the only nation who wants to rule the world.
putin is old school and former kgb! he can not be trusted!!!!!!!!!
The Russian should feel more patriotic than he ever has as he did the correct thing in selling the U.S. the missile secrets. If America and the rest of the world doesn't see it by now perhaps it will after reading the article.
Putin lead Russia and Communist China ARE NOT our allies. They still hold the despotic and tyrannical political ideology that was present during Ronald Reagans era of presidency. Both countries are a threat to the rest of the world as they hold to a master race mentality and believe that those who oppose the ideal of the master race should be killed off.
That is the main reason why Russia and China blocked the U.N. Resolution that would have ousted Assad. Communist Russia and Communist China want to show the rest of the world through the actions in Syria what happens to those who oppose the rule of a Master Race mentality.
Lets hope that more True Patriotic Russian Fronts against Putin begin to show up so that he can be ousted from his throne on high. Once Putin is removed and a Pro-Democratic / Pro-U.N. political party is in place the democratic process in the Middle East will have one less Communist dictator preventing the political system of Democracy from ending terrorism.
Terrorism will continue for as long as countries like Russia and China are allowed to block U.N. Resolutions that promote democracy instead of the Communism that Russia and China want to rule the world.
It's getting chilly again... Does Putin = Stalin/Kruschev/Brezhnev/Andropov/Chernenko?
Wait, he sold out Russia to the CIA and got prison time rather than the firing squad?
I've gotta hand it to the ruskies; they're way more advanced and civilized than I'd thought.
But in either case, go CIA!
SF accountant--who are you kidding? Way more advanced? The reason the guy perhaps didn't get shot behind the proverbial barn or fed into a furnace feet first is because they did NOT HAVE the evidence they needed. He was most likely a sacrificial lamb picked from Putin's less-favored or disliked group so they could make another drummed up statement against the west. All of this, IMHO, is the Kremilin's smoke & mirrors to fill their state-run newspapers with propaganda.
Now theres a switch!
A lot of knowledgeable people in this forum.
13 years is much better than the life-or-death sentences I've been so used to reading for spies, but 13 years sucks for anyone in any prison in any country. It is obvious that the Russian people do not want Putin back as "president," but I guess we're just in the wait-and-see position over here. We can certainly do better before we tell the rest of the world to!
Russkies are getting soft. In the old days the traitor would have been shot or sent to Gulag for life. There should be no mercy for traitors.
People always bring up a future war between the US and China, and I just don't see it happening. Contentious sure, many rivalries are, but I doubt it ever comes to blows. But, I wouldn't be surpirsed if there was a conflict involving the US and Russia.