2nd son of Russian spies wins round in legal fight over Canadian citizenship

Timothy Vavilov, a Toronto-born son of Russian spies, has won a court victory that effectively affirms his Canadian citizenship, four years after the government rebuffed an attempt to renew his passport.

The Federal Court of Canada ruling follows a similar decision in his younger brother Alexander's case.

However, the Supreme Court of Canada will have the final say on whether the young men are Canadian citizens.

The high court is expected to rule soon on whether it will examine the legal issues at the heart of the unusual espionage saga.

The Vavilov brothers were born in the 1990s to parents using the aliases Donald Heathfield and Tracey Ann Foley.

The parents were arrested eight years ago in the United States and indicted on charges of conspiring to act as secret agents on behalf of Moscow.