Lithuanian court jails Russian spies

VILNIUS: A Lithuanian court on Tuesday jailed a Russian citizen and one of its own nationals for spying for Moscow, in the latest case of espionage as tension simmers between Russia and the West.

The Lithuanian, a former captain who served at the country’s Siauliai military air base, provided the Russian with information about domestic defence, Nato's Baltic air policing mission and operations in Afghanistan during 2012-2014, the court said.

Identified only by his initials for legal reasons, the man pleaded guilty and was handed a five-year sentence. The Russian citizen, who pleaded innocent, was sentenced to 10 years and six months.

The court in Siauliai, northern Lithuania, said the Russian paid money to the Lithuanian captain during their secret meetings. Tuesday’s ruling is subject to appeal.

Last year, Lithuanian prosecutors said another Russian spy had attempted to recruit Lithuanian officials to bug the home of President Dalia Grybauskaite. The trial is still under way.

Also in 2016, a Russian court sentenced two Lithuanian nationals to 13 and 12 years in prison for spying on Moscow.