Vladimir Putin’s Russian spies are posing as lost tourists as a spy agency warned citizens to keep an eye out for Kremlin agents lurking in their own neighbourhoods
A spy agency has said Vladimir Putin’s spooks are appearing as lost tourists. A report by the Latvian State Security Service (MIDD) said Russian intelligence operatives disguised as civilians is an increasing concern for authorities.
The report also said Kremlin spies are the biggest threat to Latvia’s national security, as it warned of spooks appearing in untidy clothing such as sportswear or mismatched military clothing. People should be wary of suspicious individuals appearing to be lost and asking locals strange questions, the MIDD said.
“If you do think you might have spotted a sabotage group on Latvian soil, MIDD does not recommend tackling them yourself,” the report urged residents. “Instead report your suspicions to the State Police, special services, or the nearest armed forces unit.”
Not all operatives appear the same and citizens should consider the context when coming across someone they may suspect. They are most likely to loiter close to critical infrastructure or even near military sites.
The spies are “highly adaptive”, the report says, basing some of its assessment on “experience from Ukraine”. Operatives could be there to try and destabilise society or even target individuals for assassination.
Similar concerns have been raised by Finland’s Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO). It said there had been sabotage operations linked to operatives the GRU, one of Russia’s intelligence agencies.
Earlier this week, six Bulgarians were jailed after being convicted of spying for Russia on an industrial scale. Ringleader Orlin Roussev, 47, who led the spy ring from a rundown guesthouse on the east coast of England, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months on Monday.
He had admitted his role along with his second-in-command, Biser Dzhambazov, 44, who was jailed for 10 years and two months and Ivan Stoyanov, 33, who was handed five years and three weeks in prison. Female “honeytrap” agents Katrin Ivanova, 33, and Vanya Gaberova, 30, and competitive swimmer Tihomir Ivanov Ivanchev, 39, were found guilty at the Old Bailey in March of activities which police have said put lives and national security at risk.
Mr Justice Hilliard jailed Ivanova, of Harrow, north-west London, for nine years and eight months, saying she had “thrown in” her lot with her partner Dzhambazov and become an “enthusiastic” participant. Gaberova, of Euston, north London, was jailed for six years, eight months and three weeks, having found spying for Russia to be “exciting and glamorous”, the judge said. Her ex-boyfriend Ivanchev, of Acton, west London, was sentenced to eight years in prison.