In the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War, in the time leading up to and after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a number of citizens of the Russian Federation and of other nationalities working for Russia have been identified publicly as spies or agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Russia's foreign intelligence service (SVR) or the third intelligence arm, the military intelligence service (GRU). Each arm having their own remits.
Termed "illegals", operatives without diplomatic accreditation, agents often spend years building up false identities, living a quiet life, though sometimes they then move location/country with their partner, who may or may not know of their espionage activities and any children, who will not know of any nefarious activities. They can be hard to identify, resembling normal people.
Legals
In addition to "illegals", over 600 Russian diplomats have been identified and been declared "persona non grata" in 2022 and 2023 and had their accreditation cancelled, with a number being described as "intelligence officers masquerading as diplomats".
The head of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Richard Moore, reported that roughly half of Russia's spies working under diplomatic cover were expelled from Europe by July 2022.
Illegals
Deep-cover spies, or "illegals", a term for intelligence agents operating without diplomatic cover, have been uncovered in a number of countries. Resembling normal people, many have been uncovered through a combination of their recent activities and heightened awareness by the authorities.
In the 1920s, the Soviet Union was not recognised by many countries and was therefore not given diplomatic representation. The interior ministry of the Soviet Union (NKVD) sent people overseas giving them false documentation and instructions to settle into their new country and acquire contacts that might be useful in the future. The KGB used the same system from the 1950s. In Russia, they are called razvedchik, an approximation of the word 'scout'.
Russia is almost unique in the way it changes the nationality of its Russian born officers and gives them years to build up a false identity in another country, before being called forward to undertake a specific task that may take decades to complete. The number of Russian illegals is not thought to be high, probably less than 100, worked by GRU and SVR with their main aim to get close to political, cultural, industrial and military organisations to enable them to "talent spot", identify people who might be recruited by others.
"Illegals" also cover locals recruited by Russia, espionage groups sent from Russia or other countries sympathetic to Russia to countries and migrant asylum-seekers who have been persuaded to collect intelligence.
Albania In August 2022, three people, two Russians and one Albanian, climbed over a wall of a weapons factory before being spotted by guards, whom they attacked with a chemical spray, before being arrested. One supposedly admitted to being a Russian spy; the factory is currently used to repair weapons. The three are being held in detention. One, a woman, had asked for asylum, claiming she would be persecuted if returned to Russia. Albania agreed to the asylum claim. Mikhail Zorin, a Russian who had used the spray, remains in prison in May 2023, the others have been released.
Australia In February 2023, a large spy ring whose members included those posing as diplomats, as well a deep-cover identity operatives was uncovered. Operating for 18 months, it was broken by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). Those involved have had visas not renewed, or cancelled, forcing them to leave the country.
Austria A 39-year-old Greek citizen was uncovered as a spy in Vienna in March 2022 when police raided a house and discovered tracking devices, bugs, a device for finding hidden listening devices and cameras as well as phones, tablets and laptops containing 10 million files and a splinter protection suit. The individual, whose father was a former Russian intelligence agent who had been a diplomat in Germany and Austria, had trained in Russia and made 65 trips to other countries since 2018. With no visible income, he owns property in Greece, Austria and Russia and whilst being monitored was seen to use drop boxes to pass information to Russian embassy staff in Vienna.
Belgium Belgium is the HQ of NATO. In October 2021 NATO expelled eight undeclared Russian intelligence officers from their NATO mission, reducing the mission to just 10 Russians. In retaliation, Sergey Lavrov said all staff at NATO's military mission in Moscow would be stripped of their accreditation. Both missions have now closed. In March 2022, 21 Russian diplomats were expelled by Belgium. Masquerading as technicians, cleaners, attachés, and trade representatives, all were identified as members of GRU, SVR or FSB. They included Alexei Kuksov the embassy ambassador. Staff levels at the embassy have now fallen below 200. A Russian national living in Belgium, running a business specialising in acquiring and sending coordinate-measuring machines to Russian defence businesses, was identified in January 2024 as having previously had an address at the GRU dormitory in Moscow. Viktor Labin and his two sons Roman and Ruslan were identified by Russian media The Insider as owners of Groupe d'Investissement Financier in Belgium with Ruslan Labin owning Moscow based Sonatec LLC.
Brazil Police in Brazil are undertaking an investigation after three Russian spies have been identified recently with fake Brazilian identities. One, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Brazil in July 2022 for identity fraud. (see Greece, Norway and USA) An extradition request by the USA for Cherkasov was refused in July 2023 as Brazil had approved his extradition to Russia in April. The sentence was reduced by the court to 5 years.
Bulgaria On 2 March 2022 Brigadier Generalhttps://www-24chasa-bg.translate.goog/bulgaria/article/11011467 Valentin Tsankov (:bg:Валентин Цанков) a reserve general in the Bulgarian Army and former military attaché to London 2003-7 and Washington 2007–11, which was terminated when it was discovered he had trained for 10 months with the KGB in Moscow; had also been part of Bulgarian counter intelligence, was arrested after a 2–3-month investigation and accused of spying since 2016, by transferring data on flash drives to the Russian Embassy. Two diplomats working with him were expelled. In July 2022, an explosion occurred at a weapons store in Bulgaria, the latest in a sequence of eight explosions going back to 2011. Owned by weapons dealer Emilian Gebrev, who in 2015 survived a Novichok poison attack, the substance having been put on his car door handle, which in 2020 resulted in the charging of three Russian nationals in absentia in connection with the attempted assassination. One of the accused, Denis Sergeyev, is also linked to the 2018 Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Six suspected Russian GRU agents are currently under investigation. On 2 June 2023 another fire broke out at the same arms factory in Karnobat. Russian involvement is suspected, with the Bulgarian Minister commenting that he was "100 percent sure" Russian operatives were responsible for the 2022 explosion. In March 2023, Nikolai Malinov, a former Bulgarian lawmaker charged with spying and sanctioned by the USA for funding spy organisations, travelled to Moscow where he has been elected head of the International Movement of Russophiles, an organisation run under Russia's foreign ministry. Malinov, who is currently under investigation and banned from travelling, is standing for election in the April 2023 elections. Concerns have been raised regarding Russian connections to the security services in Bulgaria, the heads of which are appointed by the President, who is pro Russia. A number of high profile cases regarding criminals undertaking extortion, narcotics and arms dealing have proven to have Russian connections which link to Politicians and the Judiciary and is not being countered effectively by the security services despite the Chief Prosecutor having been dismissed in June 2023. In September 2023 the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Sofia, Archimandrite Vassian, a Russian citizen, who was already banned from North Macedonia, and two Belarusian clerics, had their residency rights revoked and were expelled for being a risk to Bulgarian security, as was a Russian journalist Alexander Gatsak.
Czech Republic In September 2022, a senior Czech Republic diplomat, who worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was reportedly caught handing confidential information to Russia. Believed to be a mole who had been working with the Russians for a number of years, he had been under surveillance for some time.
Estonia Having set up a business as a cover in 2012, caught, convicted and jailed in 2017, Artem Zinchenko, a Russian GRU spy, was pardoned and swapped in 2018. However he returned to Estonia in late 2022, seeking asylum, claiming he did not agree with the war. On 6 December 2022, Vadim Konoshchenok, a suspected (FSB) officer, was arrested at the border with high tech electronic items and ammunition sourced in the USA, additional goods were found in a warehouse Konoshchenok was renting. The USA sought his extradition, which was granted and actioned in July 2023. (see also USA)
France In Summer 2022, a woman called Yulia Shivmanovitch applied for a visa to visit France. It was refused as she is the wife of Alexander Kulagin, identified by French secret services as a spy from Unit 29155 of GRU, who was sent in 2016 to Montenegro to mount a coup d’état and was also involved in the Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Bulat Yanborisov, who moved to Paris in 2014 and obtained a residence permit has been exposed in 2023 as a GRU agent, linked to Unit 29155 of GRU, a specialist assassination unit. His cover was as a director of the Silk Way Rally. Phone records and documents show his connection to GRU, Rustam Dzhafarov a GRU official of 29155 was employed by Silk Way. Yanborisov was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky by the deputy head of the GRU in 2022.
Georgia Vsevolod Osipov was recruited by the FSB when arrested in Moscow at a demonstration and given an assignment to spy on Libertarian Party of Russia leaders living in Tbilisi. Osipov admitted the FSB connection and offered to become a double agent.
Germany Arrested in 2020, in August 2022, a German reserve Lieutenant Colonel, Ralph G, was charged with sharing information with Russian intelligence from 2014 to 2020 relating to military equipment and personal data on senior officers. After his arrest in 2020, Ralph G admitted to having supplied information to Russian men, but claims not to have known his contacts were working for the GRU. Unpaid, he received "invitations to events organised by the Russian government agencies." On 17 October 2022, Yury Orekhov was arrested in Germany under an international arrest warrant. The USA charged him and others arrested in Italy, with unlawfully obtaining U.S. military technology, from at least 2018 and want him extradited. (see also Italy and USA)