US charges Russian Spy Ring

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The Attorney General announced today charges against a Russian Spy Ring that attempted to collect economic intelligence and recruit New York residents as intelligence sources.

In a statement, the Department of Justice announced charges against Evgeny Buryakov, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobnyy in connection with Buryakov's service as a covert intelligence agent on behalf of the Russian Federation in New York City, without notifying the US Attorney General of the agency's status as an agent of Russia, as required by federal law.

Buryakov was placed under arrest earlier today in Bronx, New York, and is scheduled to appear before the federal court, the statement added.

The statement confirmed that both Sporyshev and Podobnyy no longer reside in the US and have not been arrested.

"By virtue of their prior positions in the United States on behalf of Russia, both of them were protected by diplomatic immunity from arrest and prosecution while in the US," it noted.

Attorney General Eric Holder said that they will use every tool at their disposal to identify and hold accountable foreign agents operating inside the US, no matter how deep their cover.

On his part, Assistant Attorney General John Carlin said that the attempt by foreign nations to illegally gather economic and other intelligence information in the US through covert agents "is a direct threat to the national security of the US." It exemplifies why counterespionage is a top priority of the National Security Division, he stressed.