In parallel with the war it has been waging in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, Russia is secretly increasing its attempts to reconstitute its spy networks in the heart of the Western camp. Moscow is, in fact, seeking to compensate for the expulsion, worldwide, of 452 Russian intelligence officers acting under diplomatic cover, as retaliation after the aggression against neighboring Ukraine. Since March 2022, France has declared 41 members of Russian diplomatic staff persona non grata, forced to leave its territory.
According to information from World, obtained from French diplomatic sources, since spring 2022, some 200 visa requests made by Russian diplomats to be assigned within the European Union (EU) have been refused by the countries concerned. The twenty-seven member states have, in fact, strengthened controls so that the Russian secret services, civil and military, cannot send their agents back to Europe by pretending to be diplomats, benefiting, as such, from consular protection. .
This vigilance is based on procedures already in force within the framework of the Schengen area, which regulates the terms of access to European territory. Each visa application is examined by the intelligence services, the ministry of foreign affairs and that of the interior of the country with which the diplomats have submitted their file. “The Russian espionage landscape remains very worryingassures a senior French official exercising responsibilities within the intelligence community. But now we believe that the shield is equal to the sword. »
Many secret service officers find themselves stuck in Russia, some without assignment, because they are considered suspicious by the EU. Others are considered “grilled”, having seen, after investigation, their diplomatic cover revealed. In both cases, they can no longer join a diplomatic representation in the Schengen area. The increased vigilance of the countries of the Union has therefore forced Russia to try to circumvent the visa barrier.
Remote recruitment
According to the French authorities, the Russian security services, the FSB, have gone beyond their usual domestic perimeter to fill these deficiencies. They were, in particular, asked to recruit and manage sources remotely, from Russia. Recruitment work carried out using technological tools alone, through social networks and other encrypted messaging groups. A more random method than field recruitment. It would target “proxies” present in Europe, particularly in France, sympathizers with the Russian cause and exiles.
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