Russian scientist arrested for spying in Sweden

On February 15, 2006 Swedish police arrested a Russia’s biologist Andrei Zamyatnin in the university town of Uppsala, just north of Stockholm, on suspicion of carrying out “espionage activities”. A local newspaper quoted Swedish Chief Prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand as saying that the 29-year-old was being held on suspicion of spying for a certain country, but did not name which one. The paper said the Russian worked as an assistant at a Swedish agricultural university researching plant viruses.

The police spokesman has confirmed, that the arrested, originally from Moscow, was an guest researcher, an assistant engaged in research work at Centre for Genetics at agricultural university (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet – SLU) of the city of Uppsala. The scientist received a $200,000 Swedish grant last year to spend four years in the country to research how to protect potatoes from viruses. Zamyatnin received the money after defending his thesis at Moscow State University’s Beloyzyorsky Institute of Physical and Biological Chemistry.

According to Swedish radio, the man had been involved in espionage since January 2005.The researcher has been monitored constantly by security service Säpo over the past two months. The chief prosecutor blamed the Russian of harming Sweden’s armed forces.

On April 10, 2006 Zamyatnin was released from a Swedish prison after authorities concluded he was not a spy who posed a national security threat.

Swedish Prosecutor Tomas Lindstrand said Zamyatnin, prior to his arrest, had been collecting information about current and past researchers at the institute, which he then passed to the Russian Embassy in Stockholm, Interfax reported.Also, Zamyatnin is accused of having forwarded to Russian officials materials dealing with biochemical engineering and gene modification, Lindstrand said, according to The Associated Press. But Swedish officials determined that the lost information did not jeopardize the nation’s strategic or commercial interests. “I have concluded that this does not hold up,” Lindstrand told AP. “If there is no threat to national security, one of the requirements [to charge him] falls. Then we have to let him go.”

Sources:

• AP, The Moscow Times "Russian biologist suspected of spying cleared by Swedes"