Russia Jails Lithuanian National On Spying Charges

A Russian court has sentenced Lithuanian national Aristidas Tamosaitis to 12 years in prison for spying.

Lithuania's ambassador to Russia, Remigijus Motuzas, said on April 5 that Tamosaitis had been sentenced on March 17 in a trial behind closed doors.

Motuzas said the details of the case were classified.

Tamosaitis was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in May 2015 in Moscow.

The FSB said then that Tamosaitis admitted to being an intelligence officer with the Lithuanian Defense Ministry.

Two weeks before Tamosaitis' arrest, Lithuania announced it had detained a Russian FSB agent suspected of spying.

Lithuania, a European Union and NATO member, has arrested four individuals in the past year who have been suspected of spying for Russia and neighboring Belarus.

Based on reporting by BNS and Delfi