The Moscow City Court sentenced reserve Colonel Vladimir Lazar to 12 years in strict regime prison and loss of rank for spying for the United States, the Federal Security Service said on Thursday.
"In the course of preliminary and judicial investigation, it was established that former a miltary officer, serving in the military-technical department of the general headquarters of the high command, reserve Colonel Lazar, acting on the orders of American military spy Lesment, acquired and passed on a significant quantity of topographic maps and images, containing information deemed to be of state secret nature," the FSB said.
The prosecutor’s office said in April that Lazar had bought more than 7000 electronic images of topographic maps from a Russian collector which he then took to Belarus where he passed them to Lesment via an intermediary. Lesment then passed them to the Pentagon.
Lazar admitted his guilt. The maximum penalty for such offences is 20 years. The date of his sentence coming into effect has not been disclosed.
