Suddenly Moscow admits the spy suspects are Russian

After U.S. authorities on June 28 announced they had unmasked an intricate network of alleged Russian spies, most of whom were operating under false identities, Moscow conspicuously distanced itself from the suspects.

Surprisingly, in a curt statement released June 29, the Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that the 11 suspected spies were in fact "Russian citizens who ended up on U.S. territory at different times." The ministry added "the suspects did not commit any acts aimed against the interests of the United States. We assume that they will be treated normally in their detention facilities, and that U.S. authorities will guarantee them access to Russian consular officials and lawyers."

The above statement gave no further details about the suspects, but it was enough to blow any cover the suspects had hoped to maintain. The family of one of the accused, Spanish-language journalist Vicky Pelaez, has insisted in media interviews that her only connection to Russia is her love of Tchaikovsky. But asked by TIME whether all 11 of the alleged operatives were Russian citizens, a duty officer at the ministry's press office replied, "All of them."