A U.S. official told Washington Post that the man in question was merely a diplomat seeking refuge in the embassy to avoid being detained by the Russian intelligence services. Yet, a different official told the same reporter that the apprehended man may have actually been a spy posing as a diplomat.
The incident occurred last month, but was only being made public now. The man was reportedly injured, breaking his shoulder in the scuffle, and was later flown out of Russia for medical treatment.
There will likely be no confirmation that the man was a spy. Additionally, US diplomats have seen a hike in harassment against themselves in Europe by Russian agents. Diplomats’ residences are reportedly being broken into and having their furniture rearranged and in one instance the floor was even defecated on by the suspected Russian perpetrator.