Russia Issues Arrest Warrant For Photographer Detained In Albania On Espionage Charges

Russian photographer Svetlana Timofeyeva, also known as Lana Sator,was arrested along with two men several days ago in Albania.

A court in Moscow has issued an arrest warrant for Svetlana Valeryevna Timofeyeva, whose personal data fully coincides with those of a woman detained in Albania on espionage charges.

The Meshchansky district court said on August 26 that it also added Timofeyeva, who Russia has accused of illegally obtaining classified information, to its international wanted list.

The full name and date of birth mentioned by the court with regard to Timofeyeva is the same as that of Russian photographer Svetlana Timofeyeva, also known as Lana Sator, who was arrested along with two men several days ago in Albania.

Timofeyeva is known as a photographer who takes pictures of functioning and abandoned plants and factories and places them on her Instagram account, which has more than 250 subscribers.

SEE ALSO: Russian Woman Arrested In Albania For 'Espionage' Is A Famed Urban Explorer

Timofeyeva and two men identified as a Russian citizen, Mikhail Zorin, and Ukrainian national Fedir Mykhaylov, were detained on August 20 on the territory of a former weapons manufacturing plant in Albania, a member of NATO and a supporter of Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, now in its seventh month.

The Gramsh military plant opened in 1962 to produce AK-47 rifles and other weapons. It stopped production after the fall of communism in 1990 and began to dismantle the weapons.

The plant is still used to repair other military weapons, but there is no longer any production there.

Authorities said that Timofeyeva and Mykhaylov were detained near the facility while Zorin was detained inside the plant and used pepper spray on two military guards trying to capture him.

On August 24, the trio was sent to pretrial detention.