Russia arrests UK-based Aeroflot boss on suspicion of spying for Britain

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Russia’s security services have detained a UK-based executive working for Aeroflot on suspicion of spying for Britain, Russian news agencies have reported.

Dmitry Fedotkin – the UK station manager for the Russian airline for the last five years – was arrested in Moscow earlier this week, according to both the TASS and RIA agencies.  

One unnamed Russian source alleged that Mr Fedotkin had passed information about Russia’s social and political situation to British intelligence – but did not have access to state secrets linked to the aviation industry.

The executive has denied any wrongdoing, according to the agency reports.

Aeroflot said it did not have any information about the case, while the British embassy in Moscow has referred questions to the Russian authorities.

Records from Moscow’s Lefortovsky District Court show it opened a state treason case against an individual named D.A. Fedotkin on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Mr Fedotkin’s profile on Linkedin said he has been Aeroflot’s station manager in Britain for the last five years, and was the airline’s UK country manager for almost three years before that.

If convicted of high treason by the Russian authorities, he could face up to 20 years in jail.

Relations between London and Moscow have sunk to a post-Cold War low over the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence operative who betrayed Russian agents to MI6.

Russia has periodically detained soldiers, scientists and state employees on suspicion of passing state secrets to foreign countries in recent years.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) last month detained a serviceman and his brother in western Russia for having allegedly passed state secrets to Estonia.