Spectacular arrest of a Russian couple in the eastern Stockholm suburb of Nacka on Tuesday, November 22. Helicopters, police cars… The operation “Spjut” (spear, in Swedish) was organized by the Swedish authorities to get hold of this man and this woman, aged 59 and 58.
The case is worthy of a spy series. Sergei, an engineer specializing in the energy industry, and his wife Elena arrived in Sweden at the end of the 1990s. Their integration serves as a model: naturalized Swedish, they have a son there, also Swedish, who is currently studying in Stockholm.
In 2015, the Swedish tax services noted irregularities in the accounts of his electronic components import-export company. Going back to the roots, they discover that the company was previously owned by a former leader of the GRU, the Russian military intelligence services.
strange neighbors
Investigators then examine the couple’s profile and discover that they live in the immediate vicinity of other people with a sulphurous pedigree: a former Russian agent suspected of murdering double agent Sergei Skripal in London, as well as the former head of the sabotage and assassination of the same GRU. Enough clues to decide to proceed with the arrest of the couple, with the help of the FBI.
Swedish authorities suspect the husband of “aggravated illegal intelligence activity” against Sweden and another (unnamed) country, and of being active since 2013. explained our colleagues from Release. His wife, released Thursday, is suspected of complicity.
“The case reinforces fears that Sweden is the weak link identified by Moscow as Stockholm prepares to join NATO,” the Times notes.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden submitted a joint offer to join the Atlantic Alliance in May, abandoning decades of military nonalignment. This, which must be unanimously accepted by all 30 NATO member states, has been ratified by all except Turkey and Hungary.
other issues
This is not the first time that an espionage case has called into question Stockholm’s ability to deal with Russian espionage. This Friday the trial of two brothers for espionage opened in Sweden. Peyman Kia, 42, and Payam Kia, 35, are accused of passing information to Moscow for ten years.
The older of the two brothers would have managed to infiltrate one of the most secret Swedish intelligence services, explains the BBC.
In October, Norway also announced the arrest of a Russian “sleeper agent” posing as a Brazilian Arctic researcher.
Source: BFM TV
