HELSINKI, March 2 (RIA Novosti, Olga Andrianova) - A Swedish court ruled Thursday that a Russian national suspected of espionage should be remanded in custody.
Police detained 30-year-old Andrei Zamyatnin, working as an assistant at an agricultural university in Uppsala researching plant viruses, on February 15. Under Swedish law, he must be either charged or released before March 16.
Earlier, a local newspaper quoted Swedish Chief Prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand as saying that the researcher was being held on suspicion of spying for a certain country, but did not name which one.
Lindstrand did not detail on the scale of damage allegedly caused by the detainee, but said his activities could have a negative effect on Sweden's security and defense capabilities.
Sweden's counter-espionage service (SAPO) is still refusing to unveil either details of investigation or which country the suspect was allegedly spying for.
On February 21 Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the spy scandal could affect bilateral relations.
