US soldier charged with attempt to provide Russia with battle tank info

According to an announcement from the US Justice Department, an active duty soldier has been accused of trying to communicate sensitive information to the Russian government about the main battle tank of the US Army.

Taylor Adam Lee, the suspect, is facing charges of “attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary and attempted export of controlled technical data without a license,” according to a statement from the Justice Department on Wednesday.

Lee, a 22-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, has not yet entered a plea in the charges, which were brought by the US District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Regarding the operation of the main battle tank, the M1A2 Abrams, Lee allegedly aimed to “transmit sensitive national defense information to Russia,” according to John A. Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security.

Lee is said to have allegedly offered Russian assistance in exchange for Russian citizenship by going online in June. According to the allegations, Lee, who has a top-secret security clearance, “transmitted export-controlled technical information” about the M1A2’s operation and flaws.

According to reports, Lee said, “The USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses.” When I’m there, he said, “I’d even volunteer to help the Russian Federation in any way.”

Lee then met with someone he believed to be a Russian intelligence officer during an in-person meeting in July, according to Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s counterintelligence division.

Anyone who is considering betraying the US, especially those who have sworn to defend our country, should be aware of this arrest, Rozhavsky said.

According to the prosecution, the documents contained technical information that Lee was not authorized to provide. Some of the documents read “Controlled Unclassified Information.”

According to the prosecution, Lee stated throughout the conversation that the information on the SD card was sensitive and likely to be classified.

At a meeting on July 31 held at a storage facility in El Paso, Texas, Lee is alleged to have attempted to sell a piece of M1A2 Abrams tank to the Russian government.