Aeroflot executive detained on suspicion of passing state secrets to Britain

A London-centered executive of flagship Russian airline Aeroflot has reportedly been detained by Russian security expert services on suspicion of passing point out strategies to Britain. 

The TASS and RIA news businesses identified the executive as Dmitry Fedotkin, Reuters noted. He is said to deny any wrongdoing. 

An unnamed Russian supply is cited by TASS and RIA as declaring that Dmitry Fedotkin passed strategies about Russia’s social and political condition to MI6.

He is said to have experienced no obtain to point out strategies joined to aviation. He could encounter up to 20 several years in jail if convicted of superior treason. 

Records from Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Courtroom exhibit it opened a point out treason circumstance in opposition to an personal named DA Fedotkin on Wednesday. 

In accordance to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Fedotkin has been Aeroflot’s station supervisor in Britain since Oct 2015 and was the airline’s British isles place supervisor for virtually 3 several years before that.

Aeroflot said it did not have any data about the circumstance, even though the British embassy in Moscow referred thoughts to Russian authorities, Reuters noted.

Detaining soldiers, researchers and point out workers on suspicion of divulging point out strategies is not unconventional for Russia. 

The Federal Safety Services (FSB) final thirty day period detained a serviceman and his brother in western Russia for getting allegedly passed point out strategies to Estonia. 

Mr Fedotkin’s noted detention arrives as the British isles is set to send its 1st governing administration minister to Moscow since 2017. 

Relations have been in the deep freeze since the March 2018 poisoning of ex-Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, allegedly by Russian brokers. 

Wendy Morton, a junior Overseas Office environment minister, is established to satisfy Russia’s deputy overseas minister, resuming an yearly custom, even though relations are not staying normalised. 

Concerns expected to be discussed include things like the latest poisoning of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, who is even now recovering in Germany, as effectively as attempts to tackle local weather transform.