The Lefortovo Court of Moscow has arrested a national of Tajikistan for two months on the basis of request of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Telegram-channel of the capital courts of general jurisdiction reports.

He is reportedly suspected of espionage (Article 276 of Russia’s Penal Code).  

“The Lefortovo Court of Moscow on October 10 considered the request from the investigation to select a preventive measure in the form of detention for the national of the Republic of Tajikistan in the closed court session,” says the Telegram-channel.  

TASS reports that the court granted the FSB investigator's request and chose a preventive measure for the foreign citizen Sharifjon Tillozoda in the form of detention for a period until December 10. 

The essence of the charges against the person involved in the case was not specified to the TASS.

Meanwhile, an official source within the Odintsovo city court, Moscow oblast had previously told the TASS that a person with the same name and surname was detained by police on September 20 while visiting the restricted area in the Moscow oblast.  

“The court qualified his actions as violation by a foreign citizen of the regime of stay in the Russian Federation expressed in violation of the procedure for choosing a place of stay (Article 18.8 (3) of Russia’s Administrative Code),” the source said, noting that Tillozoda was given a fine of 5,000 Russian rubles and forced deportation from the Russian Federation.

Meanwhile, Mash reports that the Tajik national was detained on suspicion of systematically passing information about location of air-defense systems near Moscow to the Ukrainian security service. 

If convicted, Tillozoda could face up to 20 years in prison.