Russia eyes asylum seekers as potential intelligence assets – Finland’s counterintelligence

This was reported by Yle, as seen by Ukrinform.

At the same time, SUPO noted that it is a common practice for Russian intelligence to try to coerce individuals into working for their intelligence agencies.

In recent months, more than a thousand asylum seekers have arrived in Finland through the country’s eastern border.

"A person can be induced to cooperate in various ways, such as by exerting pressure, tying the request for cooperation to the conditions for leaving the country, or giving the promise of a financial reward, for example," SUPO said in a written response to Yle News.

The Finnish Security Police declined to comment further as the information falls within the range of its clandestine operations.

At the same time, the agency emphasizes that this is not a large-scale phenomenon.

Last week, 15 people illegally crossed Finland's eastern border over rough terrain before appealing for asylum.

According to estimates of the Border Guard Service, there may be thousands of potential asylum seekers preparing to cross the border illegally from Russia.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the spokesman for the Czech counterintelligence service, BIS, Ladislav Stiha, said on Monday that Russian intelligence agencies remain active in Europe, including in the Czech Republic.

Photo: Heikki Haapalainen / Yle