YEKATERINBURG, May 18 - RAPSI. On Friday, a regional court gave a eight-year custodial sentence to an employee of a restricted organization charged with supplying information on a new Russian weapon to foreign intelligence agents, reports the court.

Law enforcement authorities maintain that the convicted employee supplied data on state-of-the-art developments which constituted state secrets. There is no information, however, as to the weapon concerned.

"On Friday, the Sverdlovsk Regional Court passed the sentence on Alexander Gniteyev, who was declared guilty of high treason. He has been punished with eight years in a high security prison," the report states.

The court has also fined him 100,000 rubles ($3,230). In addition, he has been prohibited from travelling beyond his municipality without permission for one year after he serves his prison term.