"There may be a double trick here"

 

Brothers suspected of gross espionage for Russia 

The spy warning: "Could be a double-deception" 

 

Of: 

 

Emil Forsberg Published: Less than 3 hours ago 

 

Updated: Less than 2 hours ago 

 

NEWS 

 

Several suspected Russian spies have been arrested in a short time around Europe. 

 

A sign of "stress and carelessness" according to intelligence expert Joakim von Braun, who at the same time sends a warning. 

 

- There may very well be a double trick in this, he says. 

 

The indictment against Peyman Kia, 42, and his younger brother Payam Kia, 35, who are suspected of having sold secret information to Russia, is "very sensational", according to Joakim von Braun, who previously worked for both Säpo and the military intelligence service. 

 

But that's not the only thing. 

 

Recently, several suspected Russian spies have been arrested in various parts of Europe. Among other things in the Netherlands, where a man was arrested in June on suspicion of having tried to infiltrate a court investigating suspected war crimes in Ukraine under a false identity. 

 

In October, a Brazilian researcher, who worked at a university in Tromsø, Norway, was also arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia and building up his own network of sources. 

 

And on Friday, just hours after the Swedish spy brothers were indicted, it was announced that a guard who worked at the British embassy in Berlin admitted to leaking classified information about embassy staff to the Russian intelligence service GRU. 

 

von Braun: "The Russians have invested something absolutely incredible". Stock image of Moscow. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP 

 

Can be "scam" 

 

The overall picture suggests that Russia is becoming increasingly careless, according to Joakim von Braun. 

 

- The preparation work has been quite bad for some who got caught. It seems that the Russians were stressed and in a hurry to get the illegalists into the field to get results. The stress has led to their agents being exposed, he says. 

 

The intelligence expert warns, however, that the arrests may have been a little too easy. 

 

- In cases like this, it can also be a form of disinformation that shows "sloppy espionage" to lull Western intelligence services into some kind of hoax. By deceiving them into thinking that it is this easy to expose Russian spies, Western countries may fail to dig deep enough, he says and continues: 

 

- There may very well be a double trick in this. A bit like the Ukrainians were worried about the retreat in Kherson. That it would be a ruse by the Russians to then send a large number of bombs and kill them all. 

Joakim von Braun sends a warning after the spy arrest. Photo: Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT 

 

Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin. Photo: Sergei Bobylev / AP 

 

"Tip of an iceberg" 

 

However, Von Braun fears that the arrested agents are not the only ones currently collecting information for the Russian intelligence service. 

 

- I think the risk is quite high that this is the tip of an iceberg. The Russians have invested something absolutely incredible since Putin took power and the Russian intelligence service has blossomed and tried to acquire many more agents than they did in previous years, he says. 

 

What is Russia's goal with the spying? 

 

- Part of it is about developing their spy networks and recruiting more agents. This involves, for example, finding out whether employees of companies and authorities have problems with finances, alcohol abuse or marriage, information that can be used in defense attempts. 

 

- Then you are very interested in knowing what kind of information Säpo and Must have. By mapping how they try to obtain information about Russia, it is possible to find out which sources Säpo and Must have in Russia.