'We know his Russian handlers’ German ‘weaknesses' that enabled Putin’s UK spying exposed
RUSSIAN security affairs expert Mark Galeotti has exposed the 'weaknesses' in the German counter-intelligence system that allowed Vladimir Putin's spies to recruit a British Embassy employee.
Expert exposes ‘weaknesses in German system’ allowed Putin’s spy network in
Russian espionage expert Mark Galeotti has detailed the "weak points" which could have allowed members of the Kremlin's intelligence services to recruit an employee of the British Embassy in Berlin. Following a giant operation by UK and German security officials, the British national know only as David S was arrested in Potsdam, near Berlin on Wednesday. The 57-year-old suspect is accused of handing over classified Embassy documents to agents of the Russian state.
Mr Galeotti told GB News: "It is a reminder the Americans have this great acronym MICE which is money, ideology, cash, and ego.
"Which are the various reasons why people get recruited, in this case, it looks like money maybe with a little extra bonus of ego as well."
"The point is if you keep trying to look for weak points in another countries security you will sometimes find people who can be suborned."
He added: "The key thing in this case and I think we need to focus on the positives here, is actually that cooperation between the UK and Germany was such that very quickly this individual seems to have been unmasked."
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"He was being observed for many months," continued Mr Galeotti.
"So they will also have a good sense of who is Russian handlers were.
"So I think this again is part of the day-to-day intelligence war that is happening all around us all the time."
David S is believed to have been passing secrets to Russian intelligence since at least November 2020.
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In a statement, German police said: "David S. was employed as a local staff member at the British Embassy in Berlin until his arrest.
"On at least one occasion, he transmitted documents he had obtained in the course of his professional duties to a representative of a Russian intelligence service.
"The defendant received cash in an as yet unknown amount in return for his information transfer.
"The arrest is the result of joint investigations by German and British authorities."
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A spokesperson for the UK Home Office said on Thursday: “An individual who was contracted to work for the government was arrested yesterday by the German authorities, it would not be appropriate to comment further as there is an ongoing police investigation.”
The chair of the Russia All-Party Parliamentary Group, Labour MP Chris Bryant said: “The news that a contractor working for the FCDO has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Russian State looks set to be one of the most serious security breaches at a UK Embassy for many years.
“As chair of the all party parliamentary Russia group I am painfully aware how hard the Russian state attempts every day of the week to breach our security. Our government must review the security of all contractors at Uk embassies as a matter of urgency.
“And the Russian government should understand that there will be no normalisation of relations with Russia while these warlike attacks on UK security continue. Above all the UK has to be more vigilant than ever.”