Russia Accuses 2 Of Spying One Held; U.S. Says Americans Installing Telephone Network

Russian authorities arrested two Americans on suspicion of espionage last week in the southern region of Rostov, and one of them, Richard L. Bliss, remains in custody, officials announced Monday. The United States denied he was spying.

The news agencies Interfax and Tass reported that Bliss and the other American, who was not identified, were seized Nov. 25 while carrying out topographic and geodesic measurements. The news agencies quoted officials from the Federal Security Service, Russia’s internal security force, as saying they were using “special satellite receivers brought into Russia illegally.”

According to the Russian authorities, Bliss used the special equipment to gather secret information from “restricted sites” in the cities of Rostovna Donu and Bataysk.

U.S. officials - as well as Bliss’ employer - said Bliss was not a spy but a private businessman who has no connection with the U.S. government. They said he is an engineer working under contract with Qualcomm of San Diego, a telecommunications company under contract to a Russian phone utility to install a wireless communications network in the Rostov region.

Qualcomm spokesman Daniel Pegg said Bliss, 29, has been working for the firm as a field technician for six months. He was sent to Rostov a month ago as part of a seven-member Qualcomm team carrying out a $5.8 million contract with Rostov Electrosviaz. Rather than using traditional copper phone lines, new wireless technologies use antennae that often are placed on building rooftops.

Bliss’ job involved driving around the area in a van to conduct surveys using global positioning satellite equipment to determine the best sites for antennae, Pegg said. Pegg denied reports by Tass that the equipment Bliss was using was “illegally brought into Russia.”

“To our knowledge everything he has done, the equipment he has used … was all approved, licensed and properly deployed. Neither he nor anyone else with Qualcomm would knowingly violate any local or federal laws,” Pegg said.

Pegg said the other person detained temporarily by the FSB was also a Qualcomm employee, but he could not identify the employee.

According to Interfax, the Rostov branch of the Russian security service has opened a criminal case against Bliss and issued a warrant for his arrest. If found guilty, Bliss would face 10 to 20 years in prison, Russian news reports said.