Federal agents arrest a Russian energy company executive who allegedly spied for the Romanians and Americans

Karina Tsurkan, the executive board member at the energy company “Inter” who was arrested on Tuesday on espionage charges, says she’s innocent, according to the news agency Interfax, whose sources also say the government has damning evidence against her.

Tsurkan is allegedly charged with passing classified information about Russia’s foreign energy projects to Romanian intelligence agents who were cooperating with the United States. Russian investigators reportedly had her under surveillance for an extended period.

Tsurkan faces up to 20 years in prison, if convicted. According to Inter’s own website, she is a Russian citizen, meaning that she should technically be charged with treason, not espionage. The magazine RBC reported that Tsurkan had Moldovan citizenship but renounced it two years ago.

Federal agents investigating the Tsurkan case reportedly questioned Deputy Energy Minister Vyacheslav Kravchenko, who has been named as a witness in the case.