Russia brushes off spying revelations

Revelations of extensive Russian espionage activities in the Nordic region arouse anger in Moscow.

It is “fake news” that will have consequences, warns the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Public service companies in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland have made joint surveys of suspected Russian spy ships and suspected spies in the Russian diplomatic corps. The results began to be published by SVT, DR, NRK and EPN earlier this week.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry dismisses the mapping as “coordinated falsifications” and falsely claims that no evidence is presented. The media companies are also accused of violating the personal integrity of Russian diplomats, in a statement attributed to the department’s spokeswoman Maria Zacharova.

Spy with immunity

In Sweden, SVT has taken a closer look at a Russian diplomat who the Security Police confirms is also an officer in the Russian intelligence service SVR. He was arrested when he received information from a Swedish consultant who was later sentenced to prison for espionage. The Russian man had diplomatic immunity and left Sweden.

Russia further claims that it is “obvious” that the governments and security services of the Nordic countries – as well as “their overseas guardians” – are behind it all. In this way, they want to connect the work of the independent editors to the relationship with the countries in general.

“Another wave of spy mania in the Nordic countries, a path their governments have taken to demonize Russia, leads to irreparable damage to relations with our country,” reads the Russian statement.

“We will continue to react forcefully against such provocations,” it continues, and claims that the Nordic countries’ respective embassies in Russia also have irregularities of their own.

“Not surprising”

Axel Björklund, editor in charge of SVT’s Mission review, tells SVT Nyheter that Russia’s response “is not particularly surprising”.

– It is clearly a major review that Russia wishes we had not done. We have reached out to Russia through their embassies and received no response so it is not surprising that they wanted to see what we had to offer and then give their response, he says, adding that more revelations are to come.

Just over a week ago, Norway kicked 15 Russian diplomats out of the country.

– We are not talking about genuine diplomats but intelligence officers under diplomatic cover. Their activities are a threat to Norwegian interests, said Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, according to the NTB news agency.

The Swedish government “does not rule out any measures at the moment and will return to the issue”, according to Foreign Minister Tobias Billström’s press secretary.