Russia's FSB spy agency opens case against U.S. citizen for suspected espionage 

Russia opened a criminal case against an American citizen suspected of espionage, the country’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Thursday. 

"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case against a U.S. citizen on the grounds of a crime under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation - 'Espionage'," the FSB said in a statement.

"The American is suspected of collecting intelligence on biological topics directed against the security of the Russian Federation," the FSB said.

However, the FSB did not provide any details, including the name of the person it was accusing. It also did not elaborate on the nature of the accusation. 

The U.S. State Department said it was aware of the reports that Russia had opened a criminal case against a U.S. citizen, but added that so far they were “unconfirmed.”

"We're looking into this matter and we'll continue to monitor," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters on Thursday.

“Generally, the Russian Federation does not abide by its obligations to provide timely notification of the detention of US citizens,” Patel added. “Russian authorities also don’t regularly inform the embassy of the trials, sentencing, or movement of U.S. citizens. We’re looking into this matter and will continue to monitor it.”

The announcement comes after Russia has detained several U.S. citizens on criminal charges in recent years, including recently-freed basketball star Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan. Whelan was arrested by the FSB in 2018 on espionage charges and was sentenced to 16 years in prison two years later.