Court extends custody time limit for Russian woman charged with espionage

District Court of Elbasan has granted the prosecution’s motion to extend custody time limit for Russian citizen, Svetlana Timofeeva.

This decision has been contested by her lawyer, Sajmir Vishaj, according to whom, it’s unacceptable and illegal to keep three foreign nationals in prison longer than the law permits it.

On August 20, Albania’s Defense Ministry announced that two Russian nationals and a Ukrainian had been arrested around a factory in Gramsh, central Albania, that once produced Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The news shot around the world, with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama referring to the two men and one woman as being “suspected of espionage.” Dramatic details emerged of a “neo-paralyzing spray” used on soldiers trying to detain one of the men.

Sator is known for her spectacular images from inside sometimes tightly guarded military sites. In 2012, she snuck into a Russian rocket factory and posted striking images from its interior. Sator has been based in Georgia since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.