A man accused of passing Russian satellite secrets to the United States has been arrested for suspected treason and placed in pre-trial detention, a court in the Russian city of Kaliningrad said on Wednesday.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, the court, in a statement on Telegram, identified the suspect only as “O” and said he was a former employee of a company producing electronic engines for space satellites.

It said he was suspected of collecting and storing information about the firm's technology on behalf of US intelligence services between July 2021 and December 2023.

The man was placed in detention until September 30, the court said. The charge of high treason carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment.