Russian National Accused of Spying Pleads Guilty in US Court

A Russian national, who was indicted last February on charges of gathering information for Russia’s intelligence service, has pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — Russian national Evgeny Buryakov, who was indicted last February on charges of gathering information for Russia’s intelligence service, has pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge, US Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dawn Dearden told Sputnik on Friday.

"[Buryakov] pleaded guilty earlier this morning," Deaden said. "He pleaded to conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent."

In January 2015, US authorities arrested Buryakov in New York for allegedly gathering intelligence and recruiting agents for Russia's covert overseas operations. On February 11, Buryakov pleaded not guilty and a trial was scheduled to begin on April 4.

Two other Russian nationals, Igor Sporyshev and Victor Podobny, were also charged in the case, but remain free as they no longer reside in the United States.

Following Buryakov’s arrest, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich accused the United States of detaining Russian citizens without evidence. Lukashevich warned the United States its anti-Russian campaign would undermine relations between the two countries.