French authorities have detained and charged a Belarus-born man on suspicion of spying for Russia on a French drone manufacturer, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
The 48-year-old was arrested on June 3 “while filming a drone prototype belonging to a company that supplies the French and Ukrainian armed forces”, it said.
An investigation carried out by France's domestic intelligence agency found he “allegedly sent a video to a contact in Russia”, it added.
Authorities have charged the suspect with passing information to a foreign power, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison, as well as criminal conspiracy, the prosecutor's office said.
The man, who resides in Spain, targeted the Delair factory near the southwestern city of Toulouse, according to a source close to the case.
