The Russian Foreign Ministry said the recent arrest of a Russian man here as a spy can affect relations with Sweden, Radio Sweden reported on Tuesday.

In a posting on its website, the ministry underlines that it takes the incident very seriously, and notes that it cannot avoid affecting relations between the two countries.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Swedish authorities have not provided an adequate explanation for the arrest.

The 29-year-old Russian was charged Friday with spying for a foreign power. According to press reports, he was a guest researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, where he was studying plant viruses.

A chief prosecutor told Swedish Radio News that the Russian's activities had caused damage to this country's armed forces, affecting Sweden's national security.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Source: Xinhua