Spy wars

Russia Says U.S. Diplomat In Moscow Altercation A Spy

Russia's Foreign Ministry says a U.S. diplomat who was involved in an altercation with a Russian guard outside the Moscow Embassy was a spy returning from an unspecified intelligence operation.

The June 30 announcement comes amid a slew of complaints by both sides of improper treatment of diplomatic staff in each other's country.

The public statements represent a remarkable escalation with echoes of Cold War spy capers between Moscow and Washington.

The U.S. diplomat suffered a broken shoulder after being tackled on a sidewalk outside the U.S. Embassy compound in central Moscow on June 6, according to a U.S. official who spoke to RFE/RL about the incident.

The guard who was said to have tackled the man was part of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) division that both guards and monitors the embassy. That led to speculation that the American had been specifically targeted as an intelligence officer, a question raised by The Washington Post, which first reported on the incident.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 30that the guard attempted to stop the man to check his identity, but the man struck the guard in the face with his elbow before running into the embassy.