Fifth of Russian spies in Europe are in Switzerland
There are about 80 Russian spies in Switzerland, which is about one-fifth of the total number of Russian agents in Europe.
Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, citing the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service, as reported by European Pravda
Details: European states have been actively countering the Russian intelligence network, expelling employees of Russian embassies since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, Switzerland did not resort to such a step due to the long tradition of neutrality. The estimates of the intelligence service, shared with members of parliament in September, indicate that there are currently about 80 Russian agents in the country.
A representative of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs in an interview with NZZ emphasised that the country's government "does not impose any sanctions in the form of expelling diplomats", adding that communication channels with Russia should be preserved.
Quote: "When Switzerland expels diplomats, it does so for internal security reasons, and these cases are not reported publicly," the source added.
Such Swiss cities as Geneva and Bern have always attracted the attention of intelligence because of the location of international organisations and companies there, the problem of Russian espionage has become a hot topic of debate among Swiss politicians.
"These foreign agents threaten Switzerland's internal and external security," Fabian Molina, a member of the Swiss National Assembly (the lower house of parliament), said in an interview with NZZ.
Background:
- Last year, Swiss intelligence also indicated that Russian espionage was "flourishing" in the country after waves of expulsions of Russian diplomats from European countries. It also claimed that, if necessary, measures to prevent Russian agents from entering Switzerland’s territory will be taken.
- A year later, Swiss intelligence stated that the threat to Switzerland from Russian spies only increased.
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