Russia says it arrested ex-US embassy employee

Russia's Federal Security Service arrested a former employee of the U.S. embassy and charged him with "conspiracy," according to Kremlin-run news agency TASS.

Security officers detained former embassy employee Robert Shonov in the Russian port city of Vladivostok on Monday, according to TASS. 

The state outlet also said Shonov was charged with "collaboration on a confidential basis with a foreign state or international or foreign organization" and he faces up to eight years behind bars.

After he was arrested, Shonov was taken to Moscow for further questioning. 

Shonov's reported arrest comes less than two months after Russia arrested Wall Street Journal reporter and U.S. citizen Evan Gershkovich on espionage charges.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.