Russia poses biggest espionage threat in Switzerland

This was reported by Swiss Info citing FIS spokeswoman Sonia Marhelist as quoted by the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Ukrinform reported.

 “The greatest current threat from espionage comes from Russian intelligence services,” Federal Intelligence Services (FIS) spokeswoman Sonja Margelist told the SonntagsZeitung newspaper.

In addition to online espionage, a significant proportion of information gathering in Switzerland is carried out using human sources, the spokeswoman added.

“The Russian diplomatic representations in particular are used for these activities,” said Margelist.

Although the number of Russian diplomats accredited to Switzerland has remained stable since the start of the war in Ukraine – 218 according to the foreign ministry – the FIS situation report estimates that at least a third of these employees are working for the Russian intelligence services.

Boris Bondarev, a former Russian diplomat, confirms this: “Geneva is one of the most important hubs for Russian secret services,” he told SonntagsZeitung . He added that many spies are sent to Switzerland.

As reported, in August, law enforcement officers in Poland exposed a group of refugees from Ukraine recruited by Russian special services who were supposed to monitor the transportation of weapons to our country and prepare sabotage in Poland.