Russia Faces Increasing International Isolation and Expands Spy Activities
Putin's Closest Ally's Son Arrested for Drone Filming
Norwegian authorities, who recently arrested a Russian spy, are encouraging the public to report foreigners engaging in drone flights or suspicious behavior. The photo is unrelated to the article. Photo by Yonhap News.
[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Concerns about Russian spies are growing in Norway and across Europe following the arrest of a Russian who engaged in espionage activities under a false identity in Norway.
On the 12th (local time), the New York Times and other U.S. media reported that as Russia, which invaded Ukraine, faces international isolation, it has increased espionage activities in Europe, raising vigilance against such actions.
One example is the arrest on October 24 of Jos? Hiammaria, a Brazilian national working at the Peace Research Center at the University of Tromsø in Norway's Arctic region, by the Norwegian Security Police.
Although officially registered as a Brazilian citizen born in 1984, he was actually a Russian national born in 1978 named Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin. A few days later, the Norwegian Police Security Service officially announced that he had been conducting espionage activities for Russian intelligence agencies.
According to English-language media based in Europe, there have been three recent cases, including this one, of Russians arrested in Europe on charges of acting as long-term spies.
In June, an intern working at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, who held a Brazilian passport, was arrested and charged with espionage. Additionally, at the end of November, Swedish authorities arrested a Russian couple in their 60s living in Stockholm on espionage charges.
Norway, in particular, has no choice but to maintain strong vigilance against Russian espionage activities among European countries. This is because it shares a border with Russia and is the largest supplier of oil and gas to Europe amid Western economic sanctions against Russia.
Norwegian citizens have been responding to government warnings by increasingly reporting foreigners flying drones or engaging in suspicious behavior. However, the New York Times reported that some critics argue that the heightened vigilance has gone too far.
In mid-October, seven Russians were arrested in Norway for flying drones. Four of them faced trial, and two were convicted, receiving prison sentences of 90 days and 120 days, respectively.
Among the arrested Russians was Andrey Yakunin, son of Vladimir Yakunin, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is the eldest son of the former Russian Railways CEO Yakunin and holds British citizenship. He enjoyed skiing and fishing while traveling by yacht to Arctic glaciers and used drones for photography during these trips. When Norwegian officials stopped the yacht and asked if he had a drone, he showed them the drone and was subsequently detained.
Prosecutors sought a 120-day detention sentence, but the first-instance court acquitted Yakunin and released him. However, the prosecution appealed, and a second trial is scheduled to begin in January next year.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
