Russian Ex-Spy Convicted of Working for China: Report

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A Russian court recently convicted a former FSB officer of spying for China, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

The ex-officer, identified as Maxim Kondratyev, used to work for the FSB in the Siberian Military District. He was convicted in a regional court in the Trans-Baikal region, an area in east Russia that borders Mongolia and northeastern China.

TASS reported Kondratyev and an accomplice "handed information over" to "an employee of the China Ministry of State Security" in return for about $31,500.

Related: Ex-Spy Says Trump's CIA Pick Shouldn't Be 'Scapegoat' for Torture

Kondratyev's arrest comes amid the international scandal surrounding the mysterious poisoning of another ex-Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury, England earlier this month. 

The Russian government claimed innocence in that case, saying it did not possess any chemical weapons including those reportedly used in the attack, but many Western security experts and the British government aren't buying it.

Related: Trump Pardoned Sailor Who Left Nuclear Sub Secrets in a Dumpster

Over the weekend, ABC News reported that intelligence officials suspected Skripal and his daughter Yulia may have been poisoned through the ventilation system in Skripal's car.

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