An ex-US Army major and his anaesthesiologist wife have been charged with plotting to leak the records of US military figures and their families to Russia in a bid to assist the country during their war with Ukraine.
former major and doctor at Fort Bragg in North Carolina Jamie Lee Henry was caught offering to reveal the conditions of patients at the army base along with his wife, Dr Anna Gabrielian.
They were caught during an FBI sting operation according to an indictment that was revealed on Thursday.
Vladimir Putin is continuing his offensive on Ukraine.
Mikhail Metzel
Dr Henry was reported to be the first known active duty officer to come out as transgender in 2015.
The pair met with who they believed to be an official at the Russian embassy in Washington, only for the individual to be an undercover agent.
Dr Henry, 39, was a staff internist stationed at Fort Bragg, the headquarters of US Army Special Operations Command.
Dr Anna Gabrielian told an undercover agent that "she was motivated by patriotism toward Russia... even if it meant being fired or going to jail" during a meeting at a hotel in Baltimore last month, according to the indictment.
She advocated to bring her husband into the scheme, saying he had "more helpful information," including about the training drills offered by the US military to Ukrainians.
According to the indictment, Dr Henry told the undercover agent that he was "committed" to assisting Russia.
The former army major even spoke about considering joining the Russian military, but lacked sufficient "combat experience".
