Humiliation for Putin: Ukraine reveals identities of hundreds of ‘Russian spies’
Ukrainian authorities have released a list exposing hundreds of “Russian spies”. That writes the British newspaper ‘The Telegraph’. The list contains the data of as many as 620 agents who work for the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB). That writes the British newspaper ‘The Telegraph’.
Normally, their identities are kept secret, but now the officers’ passports, phone numbers, and even the agents’ favorite alcoholic drinks have been released.
The list reveals a lot of personal details about the agents in question. For example, one of them would compare himself to the movie hero James Bond, since his account name on Skype is ‘jamesbond007’. Another cop would have a penchant for expensive cars, while another would have a drinking problem and “regularly breaks the traffic rules”.
Ukrainian authorities accuse the agents of being involved in “criminal activity” in Europe. Some of them are said to be active in the United Kingdom. While Ukraine does not provide any details about those alleged activities, the allegation, according to The Telegraph, suggests that some of the agents on the list are spies.
“Humiliation for Moscow”
The document contains the agents’ names, their date and place of birth, their passport number and, in some cases, their license plate, financial details, and even their home address.
The Telegraph could not independently verify the information, but if the data is correct, it would be a “huge humiliation” for Moscow, according to the British newspaper.
Ukrainian authorities have not given any details on how they obtained the list. However, Aric Toler, an investigative journalist for the website ‘Bellingcat’, says that some of the data appear to be based on classified information from the Russian intelligence services that had already been leaked.
To get the latest stories, install our app here.
Putin fears betrayal
The FSB is the successor to the Committee for State Security (KGB), which existed at the time of the Soviet Union. Just last week, Russia is said to have launched “a hunt for Western spies” within the FSB, fearing that the security service had infiltrated. According to sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin is therefore very paranoid and is constantly afraid that he will be betrayed by people from his ‘inner circle’.
Earlier this month, an FSB whistleblower claimed that the agents were unaware of Russia’s plans for the invasion of Ukraine. Putin is also said to have placed some under house arrest in an effort to prevent information leaks about the invasion of the West.
On Monday, Bellingcat announced that an FSB agent had shadowed Russian dissident Boris Nemtsov for ten months before his assassination in 2015.
