Aeroflot’s boss in London is arrested in Moscow and accused of ‘high treason’ and spying for Britain
- State airline boss Dmitry Fedotkin, 39, arrested in Moscow accused of spying
- Source told Russian state media that Aeroflot boss denies charge of high treason
- Detained for two months at Lefortovo Court and could face up to 20 years in jail
The London boss of Russian airline Aeroflot has been arrested on suspicion of high treason after allegedly handing over state secrets to British intelligence.
Dmitry Fedotkin, 39, who has run Aeroflot’s operations in the UK for the last five years, was arrested on Wednesday in Moscow, state media reported.
He is accused of ‘betraying secret information about the socio-political situation in the Russian Federation to the British intelligence service.’
Mr Fedotkin, who could face up to 20 years in jail, denies the accusation. He has not yet been charged with a crime, local media reported.
Aeroflot’s station chief in London, Dmitry Fedotkin, 39, (pictured) has been arrested in Moscow accused of spying for Britain
The married father of one, pictured with his wife Liubov, is said to be suspected of passing secret information to the UK intelligence service
Fedotkin is married to Russia wife Liubov and the couple are thought to have one child – a son, born in 2011.
He has worked for the Russian state airline for the last 16 years, and was first posted to the UK in 2012, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Fedotkin served as Country Manager for three years, before being promoted to Station Manager in 2015. He was previously posted to Israel.
Flag carrier Aeroflot said it had ‘no information’ on his arrest, which happened during a trip back to Moscow.
The Russian Criminal Code article on high treason concerns the sharing of information constituting a state secret by a Russian citizen with a foreign state, international or foreign organisation.
Fedotkin has been ordered to remain in jail at Moscow’s Lefortovo Court for two months in connection with the high treason case.
If convicted he faces up to 20 years in jail.
Fedotkin has been the Russian state airlines’s country manager in Britain since October 2015. Pictured: Dmitry and wife Liubov kissing beneath a Soviet-era poster showing a ‘fraternal kiss’ between USSR leader Leionid Brezhnev and his East German counterpart Erich Honecker
As a result of the charges, Fedotkin was detained for two months at Moscow’s Lefortovo Court and if he is convicted he could face up to 20 years in jail. Pictured: Dmitry Fedotkin’s wife Liubov
No details have been disclosed about the precise allegations against him.
Announcing the two month period of pretrial detention, court spokesperson Darya Rozmakhova said a judge had ‘ruled to impose a restrictive measure in the form of arrest until January 10, 2021 on Dmitry Andreyevich Fedotov.’
Fedotkin was well-known to regular passengers on the London-Moscow route.
An image shows the pair kissing beneath a Soviet-era poster showing a ‘fraternal kiss’ between USSR leader Leionid Brezhnev and his East German counterpart Erich Honecker.
Fedotkin has worked for Aeroflot for 16 years and his CV shows he was previously posted in Cyprus.
He graduated from Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation in 2004 with an engineering degree as a specialist in transport radio equipment.
When contacted, the state ariline Aeroflot said it had ‘no information’ on Dmitry Fedotkin’s (pictured) arrest while on a trip back to Moscow
Dmitry, who is believed to have one son with wife Liubov (pictured), was well-known to passengers who used the London to Moscow route