The Russian Foreign Ministry declared two employees of the US Embassy in Moscow persons non grata

The Russian Foreign Ministry declared the First Secretary of the US Embassy, ​​Jeffrey Sillin, and the Second Secretary of the Embassy, ​​David Bernstein, as persons non grata. They were ordered to leave Russian territory within seven days. reported at the ministry.

“These individuals carried out illegal activities, maintaining contact with Russian citizen Robert Shonov, accused of “confidential cooperation” with a foreign state, who was given tasks for financial compensation aimed at harming the national security of the Russian Federation,” the department explained.

A note about the incompatibility of the actions of Sillin and Bernstein with their diplomatic status was presented to the head of the American diplomatic mission in Moscow, Lynn Tracy. The ministry emphasized that the illegal activity of the US diplomatic mission, including interference in the internal affairs of Russia, is unacceptable and will be suppressed.

“The Russian side expects Washington to draw the right conclusions and refrain from confrontational steps,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.

May 15 FSB of Russia arrested former employee of the US Embassy in Vladivostok Robert Shonov. He was suspected of collaborating with a foreign state or organization on a confidential basis. According to investigators, Shonov carried out assignments of Sillin and Bernstein: collected information about the special operation and mobilization in Russia, as well as problematic issues in the regions and their impact on protest activity in Russia on the eve of the Russian presidential elections in 2024. US State Department named the accusations brought against Shonov are groundless.