Monday evening, a counterintelligence operation led by the DGSI led to the expulsion of six Russian agents previously present on French territory. As documented by our colleagues from Marianne, the French intelligence services managed to catch a Russian diplomat in flagrante delicto bribing a French agent playing the informant. Presenting a diplomatic card, the agent cannot be the subject of criminal proceedings. However, he was expelled to Moscow, like five other nationals who participated in this compromising enterprise. An affront to the Kremlin.
Alain Bauer, professor of criminology and author of “The encyclopedia of spies and spies” (at Gründ), assures that this operation is not directly linked to the war in Ukraine. Such an expulsion should lead to a reaction from the Russian authorities. It also details the means of action of intelligence in the face of the threat of disinformation.
L’Express: What is the purpose of this expulsion of six Russian agents from French territory?
Alain Bauer: The expulsion of agents happens in two scenarios. Either it is coordinated and it is rather a message sent to the enemy. Either it is an immediate reaction to an exceeded limit. In both cases, it is an outdoor communication company that aims to send a signal. In this case, the exclusion of these six Russian agents falls into the second category. Even before the exclusion of the six Russian agents, we expelled a number of diplomats as part of a combined operation linked to the invasion of Ukraine. This is a first message sent. France has chosen to add a layer.
What message does France want to send through this expulsion?
It is, here, a precise signal, on a subject disconnected from the rest. It is a question of showing that France is capable of thwarting Russian operations. It would be an attempt to buy information that has been denounced. When you have a deportation made public like this, the country of origin of the agents responds just as overwhelmingly with the theme: “message received and I reply”. Everyone is therefore waiting for Russia’s response.
In this case, it seems that the Russians wanted to buy information from a French agent. What were they looking for?
Spies seek all types of information: commercial, economic, political and military. Espionage is as much information gathering as it is disinformation. Buying intelligence is learning about the enemy and then misinforming.
The other side of espionage is to blur minds, to create doubt, to manipulate. By creating doubt, we weaken the truth. If the truth is not total, then I am no longer totally responsible. It is the company used in the context of the war where it is argued that the photos of killed civilians are faked, in particular. Disinformation is very useful, especially in times of crisis or conflict.
Have diplomats of another nationality been expelled recently?
You know, when you expel allies, it’s not said. The spy has a sick grandmother or an urgent medical appointment. The only case that has really been the subject of media coverage is the Pollard affair. An intelligence analyst at the US Navy’s counterterrorism center, he also worked for the Israeli ally. This is the most famous case of espionage between allies. Between allies, we spy on each other but we don’t expel each other. At least publicly…
Are there many foreign agents on French soil?
First, there is always at least one spy in every embassy. It is a basic diplomatic principle. There is a large presence of the three main powers: China, Russia and the United States. We must not underestimate our British friends who, since Brexit, have their eyes riveted on important trade issues. But also Israel, Algeria, Morocco and Turkey. The latter monitor their own diasporas rather than the French government.
We mentioned Russian disinformation, do the French intelligence services indulge in it?
France got into it too, but belatedly. The services of all countries are marked by their stories. They have been slow to take notice of misinformation on the internet. They measured it with Brexit in England and the election of Donald Trump in the United States. We now use the Advanced Persistent Threat, a weapon that consists of faking, sucking up information on external events. Tools have also been created to combat misinformation. But the state reacts extremely slowly.