Aftenposten names three alleged Russian agents in Norway
Aftenposten names three Russian diplomats in Oslo and writes that they are affiliated with Russian military intelligence (GRU).
Before the three came to Norway as diplomats, two of them had registered their place of residence in GRU’s headquarters in Moscow, Russia, records show, writes Aftenposten.
Since they are diplomats, they have immunity. This means that they can do whatever they want without risking legal persecution in Norway.
The newspaper has mapped the Foreign Ministry’s names lists of Russian diplomats in Norway and compared their addresses with databases from Moscow, which show their official address before traveling to Oslo.
“Our experience is that very few people realize that these are intelligence officers,” says the Police Security Service (PST).
According to PST, Russian espionage has the greatest potential to harm Norwegian interests, according to threat assessments.
Head of Communications Trude Måseide in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Norwegian authorities expect diplomats to follow laws and regulations in the country where they serve.
– “Furthermore, the activity of diplomats must of course be within the task of the embassy. If one is to get acquainted with the conditions in the recipient state, it must be done legally,” she says.
The Russian Embassy characterizes Aftenposten’s information as “dissemination of unreliable, false or illegally obtained information”.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
