Vladimir Putin Turning Switzerland Into 'New European Spy Hub’ After British Authorities Decimate U.K. Network: Report
Vladimir Putin is allegedly turning Switzerland into a “new European spy hub” after his United Kingdom spy network was decimated by British authorities last year, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In the latest development to come as the 70-year-old Russian leader continues his invasion of Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter indicated that 1/5 of Putin’s spies – or roughly 80 agents – are currently operating out of Switzerland.
According to Daily Star, the Kremlin is utilizing Switzerland’s position of diplomatic neutrality to operate its “new European spy hub.”
The outlet also named popular Swiss cities such as Bern and Geneva as likely “hotspots” where Putin would likely relocate his intelligence officers.
Meanwhile, Putin’s decision to relocate to Switzerland reportedly came after nearly half of Russia’s foreign delegations were removed from their respective countries following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“This has struck the most significant strategic blow against the Russian Intelligence Services in recent European history,” Ken McCallum, who serves as the head of MI5, said.
Still, additional data recently released by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service further raised the alarm regarding Putin’s suspected spy network increase in the nation.
One particular issue is the fact that Switzerland maintains an open border policy with its neighbors and the rest of Europe, creating the possibility that Putin’s “new European spy hub” could branch out into countries where Russia was previously expelled.
A Swiss intelligence report published last year found that Russian intelligence in the country was “flourishing,” while the latest report indicated that Russia’s intelligence presence continues to flourish.
“These foreign agents threaten Switzerland’s internal and external security,” Swiss National Assembly member Fabian Molina said regarding the matter.
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, sources also claimed that Putin had a “network of killer spies” residing within the U.K. who were waiting to strike the nation upon the first orders from the Russian leader
Julian Richards, a former MI6 agent, made that shocking claim last year after two suspected Russian spies – Sergey Skvortsov and his wife, Elena Koulkova – were arrested in Sweden in November 2022.
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Skvortsov and his wife reportedly lived just outside Sweden for almost ten years before they were arrested, and Richards indicated that there were additional agents positioned throughout England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
"Theoretically they could assassinate someone if they needed to," Richards said last year. "We know that the UK has always been a particular target for the Russians. They know that we’re potentially a very useful connection into the American intelligence system."
"Either it’s a big problem and we don’t have an idea of the scale of it and how many are out there, but I think it’s more likely it’s not that big of a problem, and because they are so difficult to do, there probably aren’t many of them out there,” Richards continued.
"But there are some,” he concluded, “particularly in the U.K."