"Le Monde": European services on the way of Russian spies

Interia cooperates with leading editors in the world. In our weekly, Friday series "The Closer World" we print the most interesting texts of the most crucial abroad newspapers. The diary "Le Monde", from which the following article originates, was founded in late 1944. Since then, the paper has been among the most widely read by the French and has been the leading voice in the public debate.

W Uccle, 1 of the 19 municipalities of the Capital Region Brussels, on a giant game of 46,000 square meters, surrounded by a 900-metre barrier and monitored by many cameras, is located Russian Embassy.

The embassy and consulate had up to 220 accredited members. This facility besides adorns more satellite antennas than any other Russian embassy In Europe. Of course, this confirms suspicions about spy activities, which is held or held in its area where the institutions are established European Union (EU) and NATO.

Belgium It has always been the main nonsubjective of various Moscow services.

Another proof is unprecedented. expulsion of ‘diplomas’She made Belgium since full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A full of 68 people were included. It is worth mentioning that 8 members Russian delegation to NATO had to leave the kingdom in October 2021, leading to its closure.

Peak minute at which it was expelled 20 Russian officials, took place in the first months of 2023. – On paper are these diplomatsBut we know they're besides active in another activities. (...) In March 2024, the Prime Minister of Belgium stated that he was a spy and destabilised. Alexander De Croo.

"Le Monde", the EUobserver portal, the Belgian media "De Morgen" and "Humo", as well as the Prague-based Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty decided to survey their activities together. Their identity confirmed 3 independent contacts In Western Intelligence Services. In January they besides noted 750 deportations of Russian diplomats from the territory of the NATO associate States – of which 40 of France. These numbers haven't been mentioned since the end. Cold War.

These ‘twenties’ included High-ranking Russian diplomatic officials in Brussels, ‘attaché trade’, ‘advisors’, ‘secretaries’ and ‘technical services’. In fact, there are 19 people expelled and 1 worker of the Russian embassy who was “recalled” by Moscow.

11 Russian agents have identified Belgian serviceswho refused to comment. These were Russian officers Foreign Intelligence Services (SWR), 7 belonged to the local Military Intelligence (GRU) and 2 were associated with the service liable for Russian interior safety (FSB). Contacted Russian embassy in Brussels and out of 16 of these 20 people whose contact details have been obtained by journalists ‘Le Monde’ and their partners – without reply.

Two main SWR representatives in Brussels They're expected to be Dimitrij Jordandi (55 l.) and Igor Goriachev (46 l.). Both were stationed in Paris: first studied at Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA), second was a associate of the Russian delegation at UNESCO. Jordandi served as elder Mission associate Organisation for safety and Cooperation in Europe (OSEC) in Bosniaand is presently a candidate to lead the same mission in Serbia, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. "For all our positions, we apply a rigorous recruitment policy," the OSCE stated.

Goryachev – who is known to have attended only 1 gathering UNESCO in 2018 – was manager in Rostecu, i.e. a state-owned company specializing in high-tech products for civilian and military use.

– SWR officers gather mainly intelligence on topics economic, political, scientificand militaryBut as Russia is at war, they can participate in sabotage and destabilization actions – says Mark Galeotti, a British historian specializing in safety issues in Russia.

61-year-old Sergei Petrikov was the most crucial figure in the GRU operating in the Belgian capital. erstwhile manager of the Russian Defence Agency Rosoboronexport liable for coordinating actions Military Intelligence. According to Galeotti, it is “more violent than those conducted by SWR”, which include sabotage, assaults, kidnappings and assassination attempts. 1 of his deputies even gave Address in Moscowwhich, as it turned out, houses unit 92154, or peculiar forces of the GRU (Specnazu – ed.).

The 2 alleged FSB officers who were besides expelled from Brussels were 45 years old Dmitri Subochev and Igor Echinwho were liable for protecting the embassy against attempts at espionage and monitoring – with about 30,000 people – Russian diaspora in Belgium.

Did the expulsion of Russian "diplomats" that took place in Belgium and another European countries weaken the capacity of the Kremlovian services? Not really, says James Appathurai, erstwhile NATO spokesperson and presently Deputy Secretary-General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cybernetic Technologies. “We have noticed a slight decrease in their performance, but the capabilities have been rebuilt”, he said on 11 February.

As he claims, Russian services in fresh months they have done in Europe acts of sabotage, arson, attacks on the property of political leaders and train derailments. However, it is not possible to find whether these activities active persons deported from Belgium.

Dutch team University of Leiden identified 44 clearly "suspected" incidents in 2024, compared with 13 which occurred in 2023. peculiar interest European services sparked 2 explosions which took place in July 2024 in DHL centres in German Leipzig and British Birmingham. As it turns out, packages sent from Lithuania containing explosives.

According to intelligence experts, the operation could have been a ‘test’ before possible attacks on aeroplanes flying to United States or Canada.

– I will not give details, I can only confirm that concerns that Russia prepares attacks on aircraft not only in Poland, but worldwide, they are justified," said the Polish Prime Minister in January Donald Tuskwhat happened to the Russian side's repeated denials.

Other suspicious fires that occurred in Warsaw buying centre in May 2024 and a fewer days earlier in Vilnius Ikea store, besides lead investigators to the way Russian services. Flames in belonging to a Ukrainian magazines in London and Madrid also raises doubts. As with cases GPS signal jamming, contamination of water treatment plants, breaking of offshore cables, vandalism or disinformation campaigns in Germany, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic countries. Belgium besides mentioned cyber attacks, which began immediately after she began showing her support Ukraine.

In June 2024 in Paris discovered five coffins covered with French flag with the inscription “French soldiers in Ukraine”. According to scientists from University of Leiden This seemingly "separated incident" actually forms part of a "organised run with various means", explained Bart Schuurman, a specialist on terrorism and political force on 8 January.

Francisca Bostyn, manager Belgian State safety Services, in an interview published on 17 January in the Belgian paper ‘L’Echo’, she noted that ‘many of these incidents are hard to straight attribute to Russia, which uses this ambiguity, hoping to avoid direct or broad confrontation’.

Steve Charlier, Belgian spokesperson The coordinating body for hazard analysis (OCAM – ed.): "We may fishy that the Russian government is initiator certain incidents, but it usually works by intermediaries. That way, he can always deny his involvement. This is simply a method called ’a credible denial''.

Use of services "intermediaries‘, to conceal the identity of those behind spy and sabotage operations, this is another characteristic new Russian modus operandi – indicates the service of the Nazis.

Their Belgian counterparts, on the another hand, noted that asylum seekers were utilized for checking military installations located close their accommodation. In January there Ministry of Defence reported on operations aimed at assessing the resilience of military facilities specified as the site for the removal and demolition of explosives in Western Flanders.

Belgium State safety Service in his own latest report 1 year from mid-January, she noted that after the expulsion of Russian diplomats Moscow began recruiting independent agents via application Telegram. For the performance of circumstantial missions they received payment in cryptocurrency. "In order to make unrest or spread ideological messages", the study indicated.

As Appathurai emphasizes, Russian agents – more willing to take risks than before War in Ukraine – in July 2024 they did not hesitate to consider an assassination effort on Armina Papperger, Head of the German Defence Company RheinmetallWho supplies Kiev. However, this effort failed.

Managers have been under strict protection for respective months now. Euroclear – an global deposit based in Brussels with EUR 183 billion frozen funds belonging to Russian central bank. According to our information, the next goal of Russian “diplomats” was Umicore, Belgian global company specialising in the production of advanced products for new technologies. Her spokeswoman, Marjolein Scheers, does not deny or confirm these reports, stating simply that “it cannot share information with external entities”.

Today European officials take the information from intelligence services. Based on this data Kaja Kallas, Head of EU Diplomacy, said in mid-January that possible Russian attack to test European capabilities may take place "within 3 to 5 years". Belgium presently maintains a ‘normal but minimal’ diplomatic relation with Moscowbut “cannot accept that they are utilized for spy targets” said Pierre Steverlynck, spokesperson Belgian Ministry of abroad Affairs.

Article translated from ‘Le Monde’. Written by Jean-Pierre Stroobants

== sync, corrected by elderman ==

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