Russian authorities arrested a former U.S. Embassy employee on espionage charges, according to state media.

Robert Shonov, a former Moscow Embassy employee, was detained in Vladivostok on Monday and charged under 275.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation with cooperation on a confidential basis with a foreign state, international or foreign organization, according to Tass.

THE TOP ISSUES KENTUCKY GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES ARE CAMPAIGNING ON

He was taken to a Lefortovo pretrial detention center and faces a punishment of up to eight years.

The National Security Council coordinator declined to comment on the case when asked during a gaggle on Monday, while an NSC spokesperson did not respond to additional questions from the Washington Examiner.

"I've seen those reports met, but I don't have anything additional to offer here at this time," Vedant Patel, deputy State Department spokesman, said during a briefing on Monday as well.

In late March, Russian authorities detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on similar allegations. The Biden administration has determined Gershkovich is being wrongfully detained, which is a legal definition determined by the State Department.

Virtually all espionage cases in Russia end in a guilty verdict, and Gershkovich is facing up to 20 years in prison.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the department is "intensely engaged" in trying to secure Gershkovich's freedom, though he lamented there's not a clear path forward.

"I spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov shortly after Evan was detained," he said earlier this month. "I haven’t spoken to him since. I made clear the imperative of releasing Evan. I made clear the imperative of getting consular access. We did get consular access after that. We have a channel that President Biden and President Putin established, some time ago, to try to work on these cases, so we’re engaged. I wish I could say that in this moment, there was a clear way forward. I — we don’t have that in this moment, but it’s something that we’re working every single day."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The Biden administration agreed to two prisoner swaps last year: one that returned Trevor Reed last April and another that returned Brittney Griner this past December, while another American, Paul Whelan, who was convicted on disputed espionage charges, was left behind in both deals.

Shonov's arrest will likely further inflame the sour relations between Moscow and Washington amid Russia's war in Ukraine that has now extended nearly 15 months.