A Russian court on Nov. 1 sentenced Robert Shonov, a former employee of the U.S. consulate in Vladivostok, to four years and 10 months in prison for “secret collaboration with a foreign state.” Shonov, who had worked for the consulate for over 25 years until 2021, became a private contractor after Moscow barred local staff from foreign missions, compiling public Russian media reports for the U.S., according to the U.S. State Department. Shonov was detained in 2023, accused of passing information on Russia’s war in Ukraine to the U.S. in exchange for payment. Primorye’s regional court disclosed…