Russian Military Officer Jailed For 13 Years For Spying For U.S.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) says a military officer has been convicted of passing missile secrets to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The FSB said Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Nesterets was sentenced on February 10 to 13 years in jail by a military court.

It said Nesterets pleaded guilty to charges of passing classified information about missile tests to the CIA for "cash payments."

The FSB said that Nesterets worked as a senior engineer at Plesetsk military launch site in northwestern Russia.

The facility is used both for launching satellites into orbit and for testing missiles.

The FSB statement didn't say when Nesterets was arrested or give any further details.

Compiled from agency reports