Russian spy failures frustrated Putin before American journalist was arrested

Before Detention Thursday Journalist Ivan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal, Russia A victim A large number of failures in their foreign intelligence operationsHundreds of “Russian spies” who allegedly spied on Western countries were expelled or charged.

First, Poland stopped Nine members of a Russian spy ringIt was accused of preparing sabotage in the country and monitoring rail lines used to transport weapons to Ukraine.

Then, the Judiciary America Accused Spying on a Russian Hiding behind a Brazilian alias, he studied at John Hopkins University and tried to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

Sweden, Norway and Germany They also claimed to have discovered and disrupted Russian espionage efforts in recent months Greece It was reported that the owner of a textile shop in Athens was actually suspected of being a Russian spy.

Likewise, British foreign intelligence MI6 maintains it Half of the Russian spies working under diplomatic cover in Europe were expelled Six months after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to reports NBC News.

He FBI and CIA A former senior U.S. intelligence official said the U.S. cooperated with allies in arresting Russian spies. NBC News. The arrests focused on the Russians “Illegals” with fictitious names and passportsUnlike Russian spies stationed in embassies, they enjoy legal protection.

Following the recent arrest of Gershkovich by Russia, Vladimir Putin is trying Reinforce the message that the West is conspiring to weaken your countryOr it will seek a bargaining chip to extract concessions from the West. Protect the freedom of the Russians Accused of espionage abroad NBC News.

“Mostly Russia’s internal political dynamics are driving these decisions. While Putin controls things, it’s clear he wants to. Create these stories that foreigners are causing problems. Detaining a foreign journalist and claiming he is a spy – which we know is not true – feeds the narrative that the West is undermining us from within and that there are enemies everywhere,” he said. John CypherFormer senior CIA officer stationed in Russia and co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment. NBC News.

“There’s a lot coming together here, and it’s hard to say what it is, but it’s part of the Kremlin’s arsenal. They can use it to negotiate for somebody,” Seiber added.

As reported by independent media jellyfish, Gershkovich was gathering information for a story Wagner groupMercenaries held under Putin’s contract and command are participating in the invasion of Ukraine Evgeny BrigozinAlso known as the “chef” of the Kremlin leader for his gastronomic ventures.

“The Federal Security Service (FSB) busted the illegal activities of a US citizen Ivan Gershkovich (…) office reporter Moscow From an American newspaper The Wall Street Journal”, the FSB said in a statement. They accuse him of espionage. hours later, The court ordered two months of remand. Expires on May 29.

The prestigious US outlet denied the FSB’s allegations and is seeking the reporter’s immediate release. “We stand in solidarity with Evan and his family.”

Communicator arrested in the city Yekaterinburg faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Jellyfish He said he was arrested on Wednesday outside a restaurant in the capital Urals.

As for Putin’s security agents, he is suspected of “acting at the behest of the United States to obtain information containing state secrets about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.”

(With information from EFE, AFP and Europa Press)

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