Russian, in Israel on work permit, indicted for spying on behalf of Iran

Prosecutors have indicted a Russian national on espionage charges after he was arrested on suspicion of spying for Iranian interests, the State Attorney’s Office announces.

Vitaly Zvyagintsev, a Russian citizen who had been living in Israel on a work permit, is accused of taking pictures of sensitive sites across the country for an Iranian agent.

The two were in contact from early October until December 4, when the Russian citizen was arrested at an air force base.

Zvyagintsev allegedly photographed the ports of Eilat, Haifa and Ashdod, as well as the Herzliya Marina, and sent the documentation to his handler. The defendant also traveled to Nesher Park, a high spot overlooking parts of Haifa, in order to film oil refineries in the city.

The defendant also photographed military vessels, including an armed merchant cruiser belonging to the US Navy and a Dolphin-class submarine belonging to the Israeli Navy.

He was paid hundreds of dollars in cryptocurrency for each task, prosecutors say.

He was arrested earlier this month at the Ramat David Air Force Base, where he tried to carry out another espionage mission. He had taken photos of the site, but was arrested by security forces before he could pass them onto his handler, the indictment reads.

Though police usually coordinate with the Shin Bet to investigate Iranian espionage cases, this probe was overseen jointly by the Shin Bet and the Director of Security of the Defense Establishment, an internal Defense Ministry investigatory unit known by its Hebrew acronym Malmab.

The defendant is charged today in the Central District Court with maintaining contact with a foreign agent and passing information to the enemy.