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A former US Army Special Forces soldier has been charged in federal court with spying on behalf of the Russian intelligence agency GRU. His alleged spying dates back to 1996, before he enlisted, and lasted until 2011. He took multiple trips to Russia, including when he was on leave from the Army.<\/p>\n
Debbins first visited Russia when was 19 years old, according to the federal indictment. His mother was born in the Soviet Union, and he met his wife in Chelyabinsk, Russia, where the couple later married. His father-in-law was a former an officer in the Russian military.<\/p>\n
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According to the indictment, Debbins was slowly groomed and indoctrinated into the Russian intelligence apparatus starting in December 1996 when Debbins traveled to Chelyabinsk as part of an independent study program, according to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.<\/p>\n
He was assigned a code name by Russian intelligence agents and signed a document saying he wanted to serve Russia, the Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n
Debbins allegedly shared classified information about his time in the Special Forces, including names and information on his former team members that Russian agents could evaluate and possibly approach those people to see if they would cooperate.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
He faces up to life in prison.<\/p>\n
Source; NBC News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"