Russian court sentences Swedish spy to 13 years in prison VIDEO

A Russian court has sentenced defence industry engineer Mikhail Vzvodnov to 13 years in a maximum-security penal colony for spying on behalf of Sweden, the FSB’s Public Relations Centre told TASS.

The St. Petersburg appellate court upheld the Leningrad Regional Court’s verdict, sentencing Vzvodnov, born in 1965, to a fine of 250,000 rubles ($3209) and a one-year restriction of freedom, Caliber.Az reports. 

He was convicted of treason in the form of espionage for allegedly passing intelligence to Ukraine. According to the court, Vzvodnov had been recruited by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) while living there and received training in espionage and sabotage activities under Ukrainian handlers.

Суд приговорил к 13 годам лишения свободы инженера-конструктора предприятия оборонно-промышленного комплекса Михаила Взводнова за шпионаж в пользу Швеции.

Об этом ТАСС сообщили в Центре общественных связей (ЦОС) ФСБ России.

«Вторым апелляционным судом общей юрисдикции… pic.twitter.com/q90kk93s1G

— Caliber (@Caliberaz) January 19, 2026

According to the FSB, Vzvodnov, who holds a residence permit in Finland, maintained secret contact with Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST) and carried out assignments to collect military-technical information. Swedish intelligence operatives, acting partly in Ukraine’s interest, sought classified data on Russian weapons and equipment used in the special military operation.

Following instructions from Swedish handlers, Vzvodnov travelled from Finland to Russia under strict secrecy, collecting information stored at his country house for transmission to foreign intelligence via pre-arranged, contactless dead-drop methods.

He was arrested in spring 2023 during one such dead-drop operation. The FSB opened a criminal case under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (treason in the form of espionage). Earlier reports indicated that Vzvodnov provided information on the locations of defence enterprises, air defence systems, and Russian military personnel stationed in Rostov-on-Don.

By Jeyhun Aghazada