Sergei Skripal
Encyclopedia
Sergei Skripal is a former Russia
n officer who was convicted of spying
for the United Kingdom
.
Skripal, who held the rank of colonel
, was involved in military intelligence
, although the details of his work have been withheld. Some reports have speculated that he was associated with the FSB
. According to Russian prosecutors, he began working for the United Kingdom's MI6 intelligence agency in the late 1990s, while serving in the Russian Ground Forces
. He was reportedly paid a large sum of money for giving away the identities of a number of Russian agents.
In December 2004, Skripal was arrested. He was charged with "high treason in the form of espionage", and was convicted. Prosecutors initially argued for fifteen years in prison — Skripal was eventually sentenced to thirteen, in recognition of his poor health and the fact that he co-operated with investigators. The affair was not revealed to the public until after he was sentenced August 2006. Skripal's lawyers have appealed the sentence.
In July 2010 Skripal has been released as part of a spy exchange for the 10 Russian agents arrested in the United States as part of the Illegals Program
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n officer who was convicted of spying
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Skripal, who held the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
, was involved in military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, although the details of his work have been withheld. Some reports have speculated that he was associated with the FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
. According to Russian prosecutors, he began working for the United Kingdom's MI6 intelligence agency in the late 1990s, while serving in the Russian Ground Forces
Russian Ground Forces
The Russian Ground Forces are the land forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, formed from parts of the collapsing Soviet Army in 1992. The formation of these forces posed economic challenges after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and required reforms to professionalize the force...
. He was reportedly paid a large sum of money for giving away the identities of a number of Russian agents.
In December 2004, Skripal was arrested. He was charged with "high treason in the form of espionage", and was convicted. Prosecutors initially argued for fifteen years in prison — Skripal was eventually sentenced to thirteen, in recognition of his poor health and the fact that he co-operated with investigators. The affair was not revealed to the public until after he was sentenced August 2006. Skripal's lawyers have appealed the sentence.
In July 2010 Skripal has been released as part of a spy exchange for the 10 Russian agents arrested in the United States as part of the Illegals Program
Illegals Program
The Illegals Program, as it was called by the United States Department of Justice, was a network of Russian sleeper agents under non-official cover whose investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation culminated in the arrest of ten agents and a prisoner swap between Russia and the United...
.