700 Expelled “Diplomats” and 130 New Cases – Europe Responds to moscow’s Espionage Expansion

Since the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European intelligence services have expelled about 700 russian intelligence officers who were operating under the cover of diplomatic missions. The most extensive purges took place in Bulgaria, where 82 representatives of russian diplomatic missions were declared persona non grata. Germany expelled 65 people, Poland – 58, Romania – 52, Slovakia – 39, the Netherlands and Slovenia – 34 each, and so on.

Having lost their network under diplomatic cover, russian secret services switched to recruiting “one-time agents” from among civilians in Europe. There have been 47 cases of charges of espionage in favor of moscow in Poland, 20 – in Estonia, 19 – in Latvia, 12 – in Germany, and 10 – in the United Kingdom. In total, 130 people in 12 European countries have been suspected of working for russia.

russian recruiters actively use the internet, social networks, church communities, sports clubs, and mass events to search for potential operatives. Such people are usually recruited only once – to obtain information or perform certain tasks for the aggressor. This is part of the kremlin’s hybrid strategy aimed at undermining the security of European states.

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine calls on Ukrainians and citizens of other countries to be vigilant so as not to become an instrument of russia’s aggression.