A laptop owned by the US-based Russian spy ring’s suspected paymaster was being searched by experts today after he vanished in Cyprus.

ONE of the suspects in an alleged spy ring has confessed to US federal agents that he worked for Russia’s intelligence service, federal prosecutors said yesterday.

Cyprus authorities stepped up their search today for the 11th alleged member of a Russian spy ring who vanished after skipping bail, but police refused to answer questions about why the suspect was granted bail in the first place.