"The fact of Whelan's spying activities has been properly documented, and, remarkably, it has never been refuted by US officials during our working contacts," Zakharova said at a briefing.
Paul Whelan, a former US marine, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges. According to information provided to the Russian court, he had regularly visited Russia since 2007.
Whelan, who also holds UK, Canadian and Irish citizenship, has denied the espionage charges against him and has insisted he arrived in Russia to attend a friend’s wedding. If convicted, he faces a sentence from 10 to 20 years in prison.