Spain arrests Russian woman on business trip, possibly at US behest – Moscow

A Russian woman has been arrested in Spain, possibly following a request by the US, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. It added that the embassy in Spain will do everything possible to provide assistance to Olesya Krasilova, who had arrived in Spain for a short business trip as part of an official delegation on February 14.

Krasilova was detained when she was departing from the Tenerife South Airport. The woman works for the All-Russian Center for Plant Quarantine, which is a subordinate of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision.

The Russian citizen is currently being held in a penal facility on the island of Tenerife, according to the Russian ministry’s statement. She has been visited by employees of the Russian consul’s office on the Canary Islands.

“According to the unofficial information that we have, Krasilova’s placement into custody may be related to a request by the US side,” the ministry said. She might have been detained on charges of transferring biometric data to third parties, RIA Novosti said. It added, citing her mother, that the detained woman “had earlier worked at the US embassy.”