They took it on the turnout

Norwegian police are sure that 15 employees of the Russian embassy in Oslo are scouts under the guise

This week, 15 employees of the Russian embassy in Oslo were declared persons of non-Grad in Norway. According to the Norwegian authorities, they are all supposedly scouts, but were in Norway under the guise of diplomats. This is the largest expulsion of Russians in the history of Norway. Moscow announced strict countermeasures. The Norwegian Security Police, PST, argues that the expulsion of 15 diplomats is “an important measure to reduce the threat of Russian intelligence in Norway through a constant reduction in the number of Russian intelligence officers acting under diplomatic cover,” Ingland, the head of the PST counterintelligence department during a press conference on Friday, formulated an explanation.

“PST is closely monitoring the activity of Russian intelligence officers. We have been doing this for many years. We see a large radius of activity and different tools. 15 people who were now declared undesirable are specialists of various profiles, ”said Haulund.

According to special services, Russian intelligence works with sources in the Norwegian troops, science, politics and business. PST believes that the agents recruited a number of persons, receiving sources of secret data. The security industry and the oil sector were a priority interest.

One of the agents who worked under a diplomatic cover was disclosed back in September 2021 during a meeting with the Norwegian businessman in the park near Oslo. For several years, Russian intelligence maintained contact with this Norwegian. He did not have access to state secrets, but was - to confidential information and a large contact network both in business and in Norway policy.

“This is an example of how Russian intelligence tried to use the Norwegian to fulfill its mission in the interests of Russia,” Haulund comments.

The September meeting took place under the supervision of PST and was documented. The police claim that

Two Russian scouts were expelled from Norway after it. Since then, a total of 20 Russian diplomats have been suspected in connection with Russian intelligence services and were forced to leave Norway.

PST attributes potential spies as persons associated with GRU. The Norwegian side believes that the Russian intelligence agency is most interested in the Norwegian armed forces, the strategy for overcoming crises and allied military assistance. Also, the police allegedly saw examples of attempts to seize technologies that could help in building the military potential of Russia, says Dag Ryokhel, a counterintelligence adviser to PST. As for the interests of the SVR, their Norwegian security police sees in the fields of politics and business, and also suspects of attempts to influence public opinion.

“We will now work with several people and structures, which, as we know, had contact with the identified 15 scouts,” says adviser Dag Ryokhel.

PST emphasizes that

Russian intelligence services will continue to operate in Norway: although a large number of agents are expelled, the kingdom is now important for Russia.

“They will work through the visits of scouts without official diplomatic cover, through illegal immigrants, through the use of civil sea vessels, through cyber attacks,” Haulund said.

The Norwegian police also suspect the Russian side of the recruitment of local residents, while emphasizing that this suspicion should not be interpreted as prejudice against Russian citizens as a whole. “There is no reason to suspect, brand or engage in ethnic discrimination due to citizenship or belonging to the country. But people who are in touch with Russia in Norway are a vulnerable group. We believe that Russian intelligence will use this vulnerability to recruit them, ”says Ryokhel.

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In the history of Soviet and Russian-Norwegian relations, there were a number of espionage scandals with the participation of diplomats. Here are the largest of them.

• In 1977, in Oslo, during a meeting with the liaison, the secretary of the Norway Foreign Minister Gunvor Gangi Haavik, who worked for the Soviet intelligence services, was arrested. According to her, she was recruited 27 years ago due to connection with the Russian man. Haavik did not survive before the trial and died in prison from a heart attack.

• In 1984, in Norway, on suspicion of espionage in favor of the USSR, diplomat Arne Troholts was arrested. He did not admit guilt, he was convicted of 20 years, after his release he left for Russia.

• In 1998, Norway announced by persons Non Grata in connection with suspicions of the espionage of an adviser to the Russian Embassy in Oslo Evgeny Serebryakov, Attache Valery Kochkarev and diplomatic officers Alexander Monakhov and Igor Chalogo. In response from Russia, an employee of the Embassy of Norway Rune Castberg and the Murmansk consul Ulf Björn were expelled.

• In 2004, an unnamed Russian diplomat suspected of espionage was sent from Norway. In response, Persona Non Grat was declared an unnamed vice-consul in Murmansk.