Brazil refuses to extradite alleged Russian spy to U.S.
Brazil refuses to extradite alleged Russian spy to U.S. (Getty Images)
Brazil has officially declined the United States extradition request for a Russian citizen Sergey Cherkasov. He is accused of entering the U.S. under a false identity to spy on Americans in the leadup to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, CNN reports.
According to the media, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security said that the U.S. extradition request is "unfounded," because the country's Supreme Court has already approved Cherkasov's eventual extradition to Russia, where he is accused of drug trafficking.
Cherkasov would only be extradited to Russia once he has completed a Brazilian jail term for forgery.
Background
Cherkasov entered the United States in 2018 under the guise of attending graduate school in Washington, DC.
Cherkasov operated under the alias Victor Muller Ferreira after establishing the fake identity in Brazil, where he pretended to be the son of a deceased Brazilian national, according to U.S. prosecutors handling the case. Upon his return to Brazil in 2022, Brazilian authorities arrested him on identity theft and fraud charges.
Sergei Cherkasov entered the United States in 2018, posing as a student pursuing a Ph.D. in Washington, as revealed by the US Department of Justice. American law enforcement suspects him of operating under a false identity to conduct espionage on American individuals ahead of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
A prior case of the U.S. extradition request involved Vadim Konoshchenko, who was believed to have ties to Russian intelligence agencies. Konoshchenko was allegedly involved in smuggling Western weaponry into Russia.
