Russian spy worked at Microsoft

The 12th suspect, 23-year-old Alexey Karetnikov who just emerged this week, had worked for the world’s largest software company, Microsoft. But he did not commit any harm while working there.

Karetnikov had been employed as an entry-level software tester, a Microsoft spokesman told the German Press Agency dpa on Wednesday.

“We reviewed his activities and are confident he did not compromise Microsoft software, our internal network resources, or our customers,” the spokesman said.

Karetnikov worked for nine months at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. US media reported that he caught the eye of officials the moment he entered the country in October.

On Friday, the US and Russia swapped 14 spies in Vienna, including 10 who had pleaded guilty to charges that they failed to register as a foreign agent with the US government. Those ten spies had been under observation for up to a decade by the FBI.

The four prisoners released by the Russians had to plead guilty as a condition for their being pardoned by the Russian government.

No charges were brought against Karetnikov, described by officials to CNN as a “little fish.” But he was to be deported, according to media reports.

Another suspect in the US-based spy ring has disappeared after fleeing to Cyprus, where he was arrested but released on bail.