Eugene Spector, a US citizen originally born in Russia, was sentenced to 15 years in a Russian maximum-security prison this week after being convicted of espionage. According to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Spector passed sensitive biotechnology and biomedical information to the United States, including state secrets, for the purpose of creating a genetic screening system targeting the Russian population. Spector had been serving a separate sentence for bribery before the espionage conviction was added, bringing his total sentence to 15 years. The details of the closed-door trial and Spector’s plea were not disclosed.

Spector’s espionage activities, as reported by the FSB, were allegedly carried out on behalf of the Pentagon and a commercial organization connected to it. The FSB’s statement indicated that Spector had collected and transferred information related to biotechnology, which included high-level state secrets. The case has drawn significant attention, as Spector's actions are said to have had major implications for Russian national security. The espionage trial is part of broader tensions between Russia and the United States, with both countries frequently accusing each other of spying.

Before his arrest in 2021, Spector was the chairman of Medpolymerprom Group, a company focused on developing cancer-curing drugs. He had been serving a 3.5-year sentence for bribery when he was charged with espionage. In his earlier case, Spector had pleaded guilty to helping bribe a former Russian deputy prime minister’s assistant. This new conviction has further strained relations between Russia and the US, highlighting ongoing espionage concerns between the two nations.