Published
Many European countries deport Vladimir Putin’s secret agents. Bern is waiting, although there are dozens of them in the country.
The Federal Council refuses, for the moment, to expel the Russian diplomats present in Switzerland.
AFP
Russian diplomats are packing their bags across Europe. In response to war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine, Germany, Italy, France and Spain have already expelled staff from Kremlin embassies, writes “SonntagsBlick”. But the drastic measure is mostly for self-protection: Many of these diplomats don’t spend their days cultivating bilateral relations or stamping passports, but rather gathering information to keep Moscow informed. In short: they spy.
The Federal Council takes a different approach from most European countries. Bern has decided not to send a single Russian diplomat home for the time being – regardless of the associated risk: the Confederation Intelligence Service (SRC) admitted to the “Blick” that around a third of the personnel of the accredited Russian representations in that country were identified as secret service employees, or at least suspected of being so. “In addition, there are informants, sources, officers under camouflage and those who only go to Switzerland for short missions,” writes the SRC.
A third of accredited Russian diplomats is an impressive group: according to the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), 220 Russian diplomats were registered in Switzerland last year. Of these, at least 70 were spies. These are likely to be stationed in Bern and Geneva, the headquarters of many international organizations. The SRC fears that Moscow will intensify its espionage activities in Switzerland if these are no longer possible elsewhere in Europe. “Our country might be pressured to join the administrative measures taken by European states to prevent Russian intelligence services from using Switzerland as a gateway to Europe,” reports the SRC.
(cle)