Russian security officials arrest brothers for 'spying'
Thursday, 20 Mar 2008 20:19
UK and Russian relations have deteriorated
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Russian security officials have announced that they have arrested and charged two brothers with British interests on espionage charges.
Ilya Zaslavsky, the manager at BP's Russian oil venture and brother Alexander, head of the British Council's Moscow Alumni club, were arrested after police seized documents yesterday during a raid of the headquarters of oil company TNK-BP.
The two men are believed to hold joint US and Russian citizenship and their arrests are the latest in a series of events which have caused relations between Russia and the UK to deteriorate.
Last year the work of the British Council in Russia was reduced over the international disagreement involving the death of Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006.
Russia's security agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), confirmed Wednesday's raids at the British oil company.
"During the raid, material proof confirming the industrial espionage was found and confiscated," a FSB statement said.
TNK-BP is among the top 10 privately-owned oil companies in the world in terms of crude oil production and is Russia's third-largest oil company.