Swedish citizen Sergey Skvortsov, born in Russia, was accused today of collecting information for the Russian military intelligence service GRU for almost ten years.
The Swedish Prosecutor's Office said that the 60-year-old Skvortsov was charged with "serious illegal intelligence activities against Sweden and a foreign power". Prosecutor Henrik Olin later said that the US was that foreign power.
Skvortsov was arrested in November together with his wife in Nacka, near Stockholm, and has been in custody since then. Skvorcov's wife, who denies guilt, was released and no charges were brought against her.
According to the indictment, from July 1, 2014 to November 2022, Skvortsov "secretly and/or with the use of fraudulent means carried out activities for the Russian state with the aim of obtaining information about conditions, the disclosure of which to foreign powers could threaten the security of Sweden."
Prosecutors alleged that Skvortsov used his import and export company to illegally obtain technology that he would then hand over to Russia's GRU military intelligence service.
Skvortsov lived in Sweden for 25 years and received the citizenship of that country in 2012.
The trial is scheduled to begin on September 4. If found guilty, he faces up to six years in prison.
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