A former U.S.consulate employee was sentenced in Russia for spying claims.

Robert Shonov, a Russian citizen who used to work at the U.S. Consulate, was found guilty of helping another country. He was sentenced to almost five years in prison and has to pay a fine.

Russia says Shonov was gathering secret information about their activities in Ukraine and how people feel about the upcoming election. The U.S. government says these accusations are not true and they are just trying to scare people.

Shonov was charged under a new law in Russia that makes it illegal to work with other countries if it could hurt Russia. People who disagree with the Russian government say this law is unfair and can be used to punish anyone who has connections outside of Russia.

Shonov worked at the U.S. Consulate in Vladivostok for a long time, but it closed a few years ago. He then got a job with a company that helps the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

The U.S. government says Shonov's job was only to read news articles from Russian media and summarize them. He was kept in a famous prison in Moscow while waiting for his trial, which took place in Vladivostok.