The announcement comes the day before SVT, DR, NRK and EPN release the next episode the series “The Shadow War” on Russian intelligence operations in the Nordic region – which, among other things, focuses on Russian intelligence officers in Sweden.
Sweden has today summoned Russia’s ambassador Viktor Tatarintsev and informed him that five people employed at the embassy have been asked to leave the country because their activities are incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, says Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) to SVT Nyheter .
The ambassador: “No comments”
Russian ambassador Viktor Tatarintsev does not want to comment on the case.
– No comments, he says to SVT.
Two weeks ago, Norway announced that it was expelling 15 Russian diplomats.
The last time Sweden expelled suspected Russian intelligence officers was in April last year when three diplomats were expelled. This in connection with several other European countries expelling Russian diplomats as a reaction to the war in Ukraine.
Säpo: One in three is a spy
Recently, Säpo had access to a list of names of a number of suspected Russian intelligence officers identified by the Task Review.
The security police have previously stated that every third Russian diplomat actually works for one of Russia’s intelligence services and that they pose a threat.
– These are state-employed individuals who have these assignments to simply gather information and influence a country in a direction they want, says Daniel Stenling, head of the Security Police’s counterintelligence, in an interview for the series “The Shadow War”.
In recent weeks, SVT has made a series of revelations about Russian intelligence operations in Sweden and the Nordics. Among other things, about suspected Russian spy ships that have been in Swedish waters.
Do you know more about Russian intelligence operations in Sweden? Tip SVT’s investigative reporters here.